Melrose, Massachusetts

Melrose is a city located in the Greater Boston metropolitan area in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Its population as of the 2020 census was 29,817. It is a suburb located approximately seven miles north of Boston. It is situated in the center of the triangle created by Interstates 93, 95 and U.S. Route 1.

The land that comprises Melrose was first settled in 1628 and was once part of Charlestown and then Malden. It became the Town of Melrose in 1850 and then the City of Melrose in 1900.

History

thumb|left|1852 map of Boston area showing Melrose and rail lines

Melrose was originally called "Ponde Fielde" for its abundance of ponds and streams or "Mystic Side" because of its location in a valley north of the Mystic River. The area was first explored by Richard and Ralph Sprague in 1628 and became part of Charlestown in 1633 along with a large area of land encompassing most of the surrounding communities.

In 1649, the neighborhood of Charlestown known as Malden was incorporated as a separate town; the new town of Malden included most of present-day Melrose (then called North Malden) within its borders. North Malden largely remained a lightly populated farming community.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.26%, is water. The city's largest body of water is Ell Pond, situated near the center of the city, while other major bodies are Swains Pond and Towners Pond, located on the east side near Mount Hood Golf Club.

Melrose is approximately north of Boston, Massachusetts. It borders four cities and towns: Malden, Saugus, Stoneham, and Wakefield. Major geographic features include Ell Pond, Swains Pond, Sewall Woods, Mount Hood, Boston Rock, Pine Banks Park, and the eastern reaches of the Middlesex Fells Reservation.

The writer Elizabeth George Speare, who was born in Melrose, wrote of her hometown: "Melrose was an ideal place in which to have grown up, close to fields and woods where we hiked and picnicked, and near to Boston where we frequently had family treats of theaters and concerts."

Neighborhoods

Cedar Park
Downtown Melrose
East Side
Horace Mann
Melrose Highlands
Mount Hood
Oak Grove/Pine Banks
Wyoming

File:The Gazebo at Ell Pond Park.jpg|alt=The Gazebo at Ell Pond Park|The Gazebo at Ell Pond Park

File:MelroseNeighborhoodMap.jpg|The neighborhoods of Melrose

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Government

Jennifer Grigoraitis is the Mayor of Melrose as of January 8, 2024, taking over for Paul Brodeur who had served since November 2019. Melrose is represented by Jason Lewis (D) in the Massachusetts Senate. Melrose is part of the fifth Congressional district of Massachusetts, and is represented by Katherine Clark (D). The current U.S. senators from Massachusetts are Edward J. Markey (D) and Elizabeth Warren (D).

Melrose is served by an eleven-member City council. The entire city elects four At-Large City Councilors and seven Ward Councilors, elected by voters in their wards. Beginning in the 2007 election, the mayor's position became a four-year term (from two) and was given a seat on the School Committee. All councilors are elected to two-year terms. City elections are held in odd-numbered years.

{| class=wikitable

! colspan = 6 | Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of August 24, 2024

! colspan = 2 | Party

! Number of Voters

! Percentage

| Democratic

| align = center | 6,656

| align = center | 30.65%

| Republican

| align = center | 1,552

| align = center | 7.15%

| Unenrolled

| align = center | 13,340

| align = center | 61.44%

| Other

| align = center | 166

| align = center | 0.76%

! colspan = 2 | Total

! align = center | 21,714

! align = center | 100%

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Melrose had a population of 29,817. The median age was 40.7 years. 20.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.1 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 12,141 households in Melrose, of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.2% were married-couple households, 14.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. In addition to the hospital, there are many pediatricians, specialists, dentists and dermatologists. Also, the city's Milano Senior Center provides social, recreational, health, and educational programs for Melrose's senior citizens. while around the same time, Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise's movie Knight & Day shot scenes on the Fellsway. The same month, a documentary for PBS about the Scopes Trial was also shot in the Aldermanic Chamber of Melrose City Hall. In 2023, the Warner Bros. film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, directed by Tim Burton, also filmed scenes in Melrose.

On September 22, 2016, Melrose was again named one of the "hottest zip codes" in the nation by Realtor.com. It had been number one in the nation in 2015 before falling to number seven in 2016. Also, as of December 2023, CartoChrome rated Melrose to have one of the top 13 percent of ZIP Codes (02176) in the United States for a resident living in the area to access health care, because of its hospital system, physician density, and ease of patients accessing a doctor from travel distance. The average distance a patient travels to a doctor is 0.93 miles.

References

External links

City of Melrose official website
City-Data.com Melrose Profile
Melrose Business Directory