Paid for by James A. Daley for Campbell County Jailer

Melbourne: ‘A little country town’ where everybody knows everybody

STORY AND PHOTOS BY KENTON HORNBECK, LINK nky REPORTER

City: Melbourne City Size: .83 square miles Population: 458 Median Income: $51,480 Median Home Value: $133,264 Mayor: Ronnie Walton Incorporated: 1912 The city’s defining features are its local churches.

Melbourne is an unassuming small town situated along the Mary Ingles Highway (KY 8).

Ronnie Walton, an employee of Campbell County Schools, has been Melbourne’s mayor for 12 years. He has called Melbourne home for 37 years.

“The neighbors pretty much look out for everybody,” Walton said. “I got people who know everyone in the town, you know. It’s just a little country town.”

Melbourne has a population of 458 people and is sandwiched between Mary Ingles Highway and the Ohio River, divided by a railroad that separates the main population center from those who reside along the river.

Melbourne United Methodist Church and St. Philip’s Catholic Church are community pillars, but perhaps the most famous religious building is St. Anne’s Convent. The retreat center was featured in the Academy Award-nominated movie Rain Man, starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. It doubled as the fictitious Wallbrook mental institution in the movie, bringing it local and national attention.

Melbourne is a safe city where residents say they look out for one another. The city has a virtually non-existent crime rate. Small cities within Kentucky are known for their strong ties dating back generations. As the old adage goes, everybody knows everybody in a small town.

“We don’t have hardly any crime rate,” Walton said. “I mean, you might have somebody that might steal a little bit of gas once in a while, but other than that we don’t have any crime rate down here at all. That’s what citizens like about it. You know, like I say, all the neighbors look out for each other. All the older ones are passing away. Now, we’re getting a younger generation in.”

Small cities in Kentucky are dealing with demographic changes. As older residents of the city age, the homes in the area go onto the market. Melbourne has affordable home prices for younger families searching for cheaper housing away from the hustle and bustle of higher density areas in the urbanized north of Campbell County. Melbourne provides younger homebuyers with a scenic river community that can provide peace of mind while raising a family.

The city features two bars, the Melbourne Roundhouse and Pete’s Place, locally owned watering holes where community members can congregate to shoot the breeze on the weekends. Motorcyclists touring the Mary Ingles Highway often stop in for drinks at both establishments as they traverse the Ohio River road. Many of the patrons are regulars who know each other well.

Many of the blue-collar residents of this small Campbell County city work at the Melbourne Volunteer Fire Station, Melbourne Post Office, Kwick Food Mart and Murphy Landscaping.

Many Northern Kentucky residents congregate at the locally famous Pendery Park, named for Campbell County pioneer Edward Pendery. The park serves as a spot for youth baseball and soccer games on the weekends. Many high school baseball players grow up playing games on the alldirt fields maintained by local employees. Pendery Park is the home of Campbell County Knothole, a local baseball league that’s produced many great players for Campbell County and Bishop Brossart High Schools. The walking trails around the park provide a getaway space for local professionals to unwind and exercise.