Read the Mayors blog today about Melrose blazing it's own path. Basically it's the Mayor patting himself on the back as usual for the wonderful job he's done since being elected in 2001. My family moved here when I was 12, 32 years ago. I inherited the family home when my parents retired to Florida. I often think of selling, but I think my parents who ce back to visit might be hurt. They love and miss the house and don''t have to deal with the ever-changing Melrose but are always amazed at the changes every time they come back. Do any other longtime/lifelong Melrosians miss the pre 2001 Melrose? When no matter the time of day you could find a parking spot behind Shaws. When there wasn't so much speeding down side streets because it takes 20 min to get down Main St sometimes. When there weren't big buildings put up everywhere when the line of traffic didn't stretch to Bobs market when the 5:00/6:00 trains come. When we had a bowling alley, a few pizza shops, our own locally owned grocery store and we didn't need traffic lights at every intersection.
So now we have trendy restaurants which bring in more traffic and visitors to the city every day. We have probably 2000 more apartments, the building on Willow St is huge. I couldn't imagine my house living in the shadow of that. And none of these are helping at all with our tax bills. We have enormous water bills too. I don't ever remember my parents worrying about the water bill We have newcomers who moved here to change things instead of moving to a place which has everything they wanted. We have traffic, and more traffic. We have a women's commission-said sarcastically.
I miss our suburban bedroom community. I miss the feeling of belonging to a community in which everyone was represented. Not the new, not just the young families, not just the political left. You could talk to anyone and it didn't matter their ideologies. Now I feel like an outsider, I feel like I don't belong, even with all the people I know, many feel like me but feel we have no say on what is happening. I feel judged for not wanting progress, for not supporting certain causes, I wear a certain hat and I get looks of disgust.
Yes, I've had enough. I thought this would be my forever home. That has changed.
You are suffering from "change"....that's all. Every city like Melrose goes through these changes especially if they are nice places to live. Every city goes through cyclic cultural changes...the cultural pendulum swings from one end to the other! Wait another 40 years and it will look different again.
Yes. I often feel like this. Been here all my life. I miss the old days. The families, so many large families. The simplicity. The animals at Pine Banks that made for happy kids. Saturday bowling. Sunday church and a muffin at Heavenly donuts before Sunday dinner at the grandparents. But this is not Melrose exclusive. While I agree that overcrowding and traffic in Melrose is becoming an increasing problem, it's the pre internet days I think we miss the most. life now is too fast and too competitive. We see know to much about people and it causes a fierce competitiveness. Which is the better political party? Who has the smartest, cutest, most athletic kids? Who takes the best vacations? We forget that what's really important is to just be kind and respect each other.
Well said
You are feeling what most 44 year olds feel. Melrose has done better than most on dealing with change however. I moved here 26 years ago and almost all aspects of the town have improved. I don't think we've lost that small town feel or have become snobby or uptight. I think it's still a level headed town overall.
I agree Melrose is growing to big for its britches. I also wish people would not move here and try to change it to their liking. You want a small city feel with cool shops and restaurants and lots of diversity? There are plenty of neighborhoods like that within a stone's throw of Boston. Boston is also overbuilding under the new mayor. He doesn't say no to anything. There are many high rises planning to be built in the near future replacing parking garages. I worry in 20 years that it will be almost impossible to get around easily within 10 miles of Boston, wait and see the increase in road rage then.
Who in their right mind could possibly think that posting a 25 mph speed limit will benefit anyone? It will make travel that much slower with more congestion, more traffic.
Thr Traffic Commission had members on either side of the 25 mph isssue, until the Mayor came out in favor of it, and then, surprise surprise, the vote was unanimous!
Yes, I agree with your post. I think years ago, it was slightly more upscale than Wakefield. Most people wanted typical suburban homes in family oriented cities / towns.
It seems over the past 10-15 years, there is a mindset that Melrose should emulate Cambridge. In other words, pack large multi-families into every available sq ft.
I truly think the city will allow more and more large apartments / condos and it will be **** near impossible to drive through. Maybe they will implement trolleys like they did 100 years ago up and down the main streets. That would be a liberal utopia. No cars and everyone lives in new "smart homes".
Maybe this is what many want and Cambridge is too expensive for them. Back in the day, the whole Wyoming / St. Mary's area was considered "little Cork" due to it being an Irish slum. The Baptists banned alcohol hoping to keep the Irish out. My point being every town transforms and people need to remain fluid. I think if you grew up there, one has a bit of nostalgia for yesteryear and you want the landmarks i.e bowling alley to remain. When these things get torn down, a very small piece of our history dies as well. Although it's painful to see your childhood as a distant memory and all the landmarks gone, humans need to keep changing as we try to progress.
Oddly, I am beginning to like Wakefield more and more. Although it is experiencing it's own gentrification, I like the overall area and a slight working class feel to it.
Just think of all the old timers from Southie and the North End. Their tight knit communities have become completely unrecognizable
Fear not - in another 20-30 years things will again be different here in Melrose - for good or for bad - who knows!
I believe your post needs some corrections.
First of all "little cork" was not used. The correct name was "CORK CITY".
Also, you description of the "slum area". First of all the name of the Catholic
Church in Melrose was ST. BRIDGET.
Cork City was not in the area you described. Cork City was located between
the area of Cleveland and Tappan Streets.
As far as your statement regarding alcohol this was not banned because of the
Irish. It was because the so called "BRAHMIES" did not want their little
"Hamlet" to be considered as something less than what they wanted it to
be to referred as.
Also, Melrose had a poor farm - Was that only for the "IRISH" also?
Thanks for the correction. I don't know anything about the poor farm. Where was it and when did it exist?
My father says we are on the Poor Farm, when he reads his water bill[:-?]
N.H. clean water,no income or sales tax,oceans ,mountains and lakes and unlike Mel you know where the stink is coming from.[8-)]