Melrose is a small, unincorporated town in north-central Florida on Melrose Bay between Gainesville and Palatka. Its history includes Native Americans, farmers and ranchers from elsewhere, and links to towns and markets elsewhere by way of a canal built in the late 19th century. After devastating freezes in the 1890s drove many citrus farmers away, the town saw slow growth, but has thrived in the last hundred years because of its idyllic setting, strategic location, and friendly atmosphere.