Mentone was founded as a resort town named after the Italian spelling of the formerly-Italian French town Menton. In order to keep with the Italian resort theme many streets in Mentone were named after Italian cities for example, Cremona Street, Florence Street, Venice Street and Milan Street. The development of Mentone began in the late 1800s, the Post Office opening on 16 May 1884. The original Mentone Fire station was located on the corner of Brindisi Street and Mentone Parade, Mentone in 1906 and after the new fire station was built it was relocated to Lalor in 1957. According to the, the median individual income in Mentone was $664 per week, which was slightly higher than the Australian average of $577 per week. Similarly, the median household weekly income of $1,288 in Mentone was slightly higher than the Australian average of $1,234.
Shopping
Mentone is home to a lively shopping area along Como Parade West, Balcombe Road and surrounding streets and laneways. This shopping strip offers a wide range of restaurants, cafes, bakeries, clothing stores, supermarkets, travel agents, fancy dress, craft, home, book stores and more. A second commercial area has grown along Nepean Highway; this may expand as the former Nylex factory site between Nepean Highway and Warrigal road is redeveloped into a bulky goods retail precinct. Neighbouring suburb, Cheltenham, comprises one of the biggest shopping centres in Australia – Westfield Southland. This shopping mall incorporates a two-level bridge that spans the six lanes of Nepean Highway. It is the main shopping centre for people of Mentone and surrounds. A new train station opened in 2017 on the west side of Southland near Bay Street. In late 2010 Thrift Park shopping centre between Lower Dandenong Road and Nepean Highway just east of Warrigal Road went through with a $35-million redevelopment. The redevelopment included demolishing the original centre that was "ageing" and building a larger Woolworths supermarket with 30 additional stores. The centre officially opened in December 2010.
The Mentone Beach and Mentone Lifesaving Club provide leisure space and activities, as do the parkland and oval near the council offices. Mentone is also home to numerous sporting clubs including cricket, football, tennis, swimming, field hockey, and lawn bowling. Mentone Bowling Club was established in the early 1900s and has a successful history, including an Australian champion. The club is next to the train station in the centre of the suburb. Mentone were promoted to the Premier Division in 2010. In late 2013 it was announced the iconic Mentone Tenpin Bowl on the corner of the Nepean Hwy and Warrigal Rd would close by the end of that year after fifty years of operation in order to make way for a new multi-storey residential apartment and retail complex. The Mentone Hotel is a historical hotel building overlooking Port Phillip Bay. The Mentone RSL is housed in a building dating to 1884–1886. One of Australia's last Blockbuster Video stores was in Mentone but has since closed down.
