Some families find a neighborhood. Others put down roots so deep that decades later, their children are raising families there too. For Melanie and Whit Martin, Lake Highlands has never been just a place to live—it’s been home in every sense of the word.

The two planted their first flag here in 1993, just a year after marrying. The pull was natural. Whit grew up in East Dallas, his mom still lives there today, and Melanie attended Bishop Lynch, making the decision feel more like a homecoming than a choice.

Over the years, home grew. After Melanie’s father passed away, her mother moved just half a mile down the road. Both of their brothers and their families also settled in Lake Highlands, raising their children alongside them. “It truly is home for all of us,” she says.

Their three children - Cort, Meghan, and Ellis - came up through both private and Lake Highlands schools before finding their own way back to East Dallas. Meghan and her husband Braydon now live nearby with their daughter Scottie. Ellis is renting close by with friends, and Cort and his wife Karlie, currently in Plano, are hoping to make their way back soon. Their two boys, Crawford and Crew, already attend Grace Day School and have just started playing soccer with LHSA.

The circle, as they say, is coming back around.

As a Realtor with more than 30 years in the community, Melanie gets a front-row seat to that cycle playing out for other families. “I especially love helping our kids’ friends, many of whom I’ve known since they were little, find their first homes—often back in the neighborhood where they grew up,” she says.

Outside of work, you’ll find the Martins gathered around a table. Originally from South Louisiana, Melanie has always centered family around food. For more than two decades, they’ve hosted an Easter weekend crawfish boil. Christmas night brings two pots of gumbo—chicken and sausage alongside seafood—shared with family and friends. Summer beach trips round out the traditions that have shaped their life together.

Having both of their mothers nearby has always been meaningful. Both Melanie and Whit lost their fathers young, deepening their appreciation for time spent with family. Their children grew up having dinner with their grandmothers almost every week.

That feeling has only deepened with the arrival of little Scottie. Born at 25 weeks and weighing just over a pound, she spent 117 days in the NICU before coming home. “We are so in awe of our little miracle baby,” Melanie shares. “Her sweet smiles and all her bows bring so much joy to our lives.”

This Mother’s Day, Melanie sums it up in one word: grateful. Grateful for the women who guided her - her mom, Edna, and mother-in-law, Pat - and grateful to now watch Meghan and Karlie step into motherhood themselves. “It’s the absolute best watching your kids become parents,” she says. “There’s nothing like it.”

What keeps generation after generation choosing Lake Highlands? Melanie doesn't hesitate. "The people, without a doubt. So many of the friends we've made over the years grew up here, raised their families here, and now their children are coming back to do the same. That really says it all."

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