Melrose is a city located in the Greater Boston metropolitan area in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States.

[3][4] By 1845, the Boston and Maine Railroad had built three stops (now the commuter rail stations of Wyoming Hill, Melrose/Cedar Park, and Melrose Highlands).

Boston workers in search of a country atmosphere moved to the area and began commuting to work.

The town then annexed the highlands from neighboring Stoneham in 1853, creating the city's current borders.

The name was suggested and advocated for by William Bogle, a Scotland native and longtime resident of North Malden.

[3] Melrose reached a peak in a population of 33,180 residents in 1970, before beginning a slow decline continuing through 2010.

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.

"[citation needed] Jennifer Grigoraitis is the Mayor of Melrose as of January 8, 2024, taking over for Paul Brodeur who had served since November 2019.

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.

The Franklin Early Childhood Center houses preschool, Pre-K, and multiage programs.

In the fall of 2009, the Ben Affleck movie The Town captured many key scenes in a historic bank on Main Street downtown,[26] while around the same time, Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise's movie Knight & Day shot scenes on the Fellsway.

[27] The same month, a documentary for PBS about the Scopes Trial was also shot in the Aldermanic Chamber of Melrose City Hall.

[27] In 2022, the Apple TV+ movie Spirited, featuring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell, had scenes filmed in Melrose.

[30] 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.

[31] On October 3, 2023, WalletHub placed Melrose eighth on their list 2023's Best Small Cities in America.