Melissia

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Melissia (Μελίσσια)
Coordinates	38°3′ N 23°50′ E
Country	Greece
Periphery	Attica
Prefecture	Athens
Population	19,526 (2001)
Area	3.91 km²
Population density	4,999 /km²
Elevation	290 m
Postal code	151 xx
Area code	210
Licence plate code	Z

Melissia or Melisia (Greek: Μελίσσια), is a suburb in the northeastern part of Athens, Greece. The origin of the name comes from the beehives. Melissia was first widely poplulated by Greek refugees coming from Asia Minor after their persecution by the Turks in 1922. Melissia is accessed by Attiki Odos (number 6) to the south, Kifissias Avenue to the west and the road to Mount Penteli to the east. The suburban community sits near the slope of Mount Hymettus and west of Mount Penteli. The Athenian plain lies to the southwest. It is located about 4 to 5 km N of Attiki Odos (number 6), SE of Thiva and Chalkida, SW of Marathon, W of Rafina, and ENE of Athens. Its main streets are divided into two one-way streets linking to Kifissia and the other linking south of Vrilissia.

The area around Melissia is made up of residential areas, except parts of Nea Penteli and the northern part are made up of forests. The area used to be made up of farmlands. Suburban housing arrived in the 1960s and continued slowly in the 2000s. Between the 1980s and the 1990s, a fraction of the land remained empty.

Melissia has few schools, lyceums, two gymnasiums, banks, a post office, a modern municipal swimming-pool and a few squares (plateies).