It's the People.
The following text is from a Facebook post by by Allyson Debutts, a Melrose resident. We're thankful she shared this, and it's been copied here verbatim with her permission. Enjoy. - David West
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I don't live in a neighborhood full of fancy houses.
They're old. They have character but they have flaws.
I don't live in a neighborhood with fancy amenities or clubs.
I don't live in a neighborhood that people really recognize, or exclaim "omg I love that area!"
But I live in a neighborhood with something better.
Cohesiveness, compassion, and community.
None of us are rich but we would give the shirt off our back for our neighbor. Sometimes quite literally.
I live in the kind of neighborhood where people stopped and rolled around the window to say hey to you as they drive by.
I live in the kind of neighborhood where we have meetings about how we can help each other better.
I didn't know what kind of family I was joining when I moved in to Melrose. I was just trying to find something I could afford without being house poor. I had quite a few people scoff at me for moving north of Florida and ask me if it was going to be safe.
But boy am I glad that I took a chance on an old house with good bones that needed a little love. Not so much because of my house, although I do love my Pandora despite all the grief she gave me at first- but because of the people I've encountered here.
Allyson Denae DeButts
