Melrose was a village in the town of Morrisania,[6] in the county of Westchester before being incorporated into New York City in 1874 as part of the Twenty-Third Ward.

Originally a dense working-class neighborhood, the housing that was often hastily built to capitalize on the turn of the 20th century immigrant escape from Manhattan soon became unsuitable to all but the poorest.

In 1973, the City of New York dismantled the Third Avenue El (an original draw to the neighborhood) due to low ridership.

A prominent player in the revitalization efforts has been the group Nos Quedamos which in English means "we stay".

Leading the borough in the number of LEED certified apartment buildings, the largest being Via Verde, winner of the 2013 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence silver medal.

Despite lingering social problems due to a continued significant poverty presence, Melrose has come a long way from a previously "forgotten" neighborhood.

The Melrose neighborhood has grown since Jimmy Carter's famous visit to the Bronx in 1977[9] and will continue to do so as the city's last parcels are sold for development.

Other concerns regarded the lack of handicap access, and the past closure of the main entrance to the stop.

[11][12] Based on data from the 2010 United States Census, the population of Melrose, including northeastern Mott Haven, was 39,214, a change of 6,019 (15.3%) from the 33,195 counted in 2000.

[18] In 2018, an estimated 29% of Melrose and Mott Haven residents lived in poverty, compared to 25% in all of the Bronx and 20% in all of New York City.

Based on this calculation, as of 2018[update], Melrose and Mott Haven are considered to be low-income relative to the rest of the city and is gentrifying.

Most of the original housing stock which consisted of older multi-unit homes and tenements were structurally damaged by arson during the citywide fiscal crisis and eventually razed by the city.

In the last decade, construction of modern 2- and 3-unit row-houses and apartment buildings have increased the percentage of owners versus renters.

[15]: 14 The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in Melrose and Mott Haven is 0.0086 milligrams per cubic metre (8.6×10−9 oz/cu ft), more than the city average.

[15]: 13  In Melrose and Mott Haven, 42% of residents are obese, 20% are diabetic, and 38% have high blood pressure—compared to the citywide averages of 24%, 11%, and 28% respectively.

[30] Melrose and Mott Haven generally have a lower rate of college-educated residents than the rest of the city as of 2018[update].

[15]: 6  The percentage of Melrose and Mott Haven students excelling in math rose from 18% in 2000 to 37% in 2011, though reading achievement decreased slightly from 25% to 24% during the same time period.

[31] Melrose and Mott Haven's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is more than the rest of New York City.

[16]: 24 (PDF p. 55) [15]: 6  Additionally, 62% of high school students in Melrose and Mott Haven graduate on time, lower than the citywide average of 75%.