Mesa, Arizona
Mesa is a city in
Maricopa County,
Arizona and part of the
Phoenix-Mesa-
Scottsdale Metropolitan Area. It is the third-largest city in Arizona, after Phoenix and
Tucson.
Mesa is one of the
United States' fastest-growing cities, and currently ranks as the
41st-largest. In
2005 The City of Mesa website estimated the city's population at 451,860. Though a suburban city, Mesa actually has a larger population than better-known cities such as
St. Louis,
Missouri,
Miami, Florida and
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. Despite its large population, Mesa has a decidedly bedroom-community, sprawl-like character. Its downtown is minimal, and there are very few buildings in Mesa with more than two stories. Nevertheless, the recently completed
Mesa Arts Center may help invigorate downtown Mesa. The city is also home to many gated
retirement communities, which may explain the large percentage of senior citizens in the population.
Mesa was founded in January 1878 by
Mormon (
LDS) pioneers and its population is still roughly one-quarter Mormon. Since the city's population is well over twice that of
Salt Lake City (which is now only about 50 percent LDS), Mesa has a greater Mormon population than any other single city in the world. The
LDS Church operates one of its oldest temples in Mesa (the
Mesa Arizona Temple), and the city is a hub of sorts for
Latter-day Saints residing in the Phoenix Metro area.
Mesa's residents exhibit jarring economic diversity, with low-income areas and mobile-home parks somewhat close to high-scale neighborhoods with extravagant custom homes.
 |
The City of Mesa logo |
Mesa's elevation is approximately 1,241
feet (378
m) and is located at (33.411199, -111.746438). The city spreads over a
mesa or
plateau that stands about one hundred feet higher than Phoenix. Thus, the name given to it by its Mormon settlers.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 324.2
km² (125.2
mi²). 323.7 km² (125.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (0.16%) is water.
*
Circa 1 AD. The
Hohokams arrived in the area. They built an extensive canal system.[
1]
*
1358. A large flood occurred, perhaps damaging the canal system.[
2]
*
1865. At a ferry west of present-day Val Vista Road, an establishment called Maryville was created. The ferry was used by soldiers.[
3]
*
1877. After Maryville was abandoned, a group of LDS pioneers arrived in March 1877 and settled in an area called Lehi (in the northwest part of present-day Mesa). The pioneers were led by
Daniel Webster Jones, who had been asked by LDS officials to direct a party of people in establishing a settlement in Arizona.[
4]
*
1878. An 85-member LDS pioneer contingent called "The First Mesa Company" arrived from Utah and Idaho. Their leaders were named Crismon, Pomeroy, Robson, and Sirrine. They decided not to stay with
Daniel Webster Jones' group in Lehi and moved southward and began to clear out the Hohokam canals. [
5]
As of the
census 2004 estimate, there were 447,845 people, 146,643 households, and 99,863 families residing in the city. The
population density was 1,224.4/km² (3,171.3/mi²). There were 175,701 housing units at an average density of 542.8/km² (1,405.7/mi²).
The racial makeup of the city was 79.30%
White, 3.30%
Black or
African American, 1.80%
Native American, 2.00%
Asian, 0.30%
Pacific Islander, 12.00% from
other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. 20.00% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 146,643 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were
married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,817, and the median income for a family was $49,232. Males had a median income of $35,960 versus $27,005 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $19,601. About 6.2% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
*
HoHoKam Park Cactus League spring training home of the
Chicago Cubs and former summer home to the now defunct
Mesa Miners professional baseball team of the
Golden Baseball League.
*
Mesa Arts Center*
Mesa Amphitheatre*
Mesa Arizona Temple, a large LDS temple, where an elaborate
Easter pageant is held every spring.
* Museums
**
Arizona Museum for Youth **
Commemorative Air Force Museum**
Mesa Historical Society and Museum**
Mesa Southwest Museum**
Sirrine House*
Public Libraries** Main Library (MN)
** Dobson Ranch Branch (DR)
** Red Mountain Branch (RM)
Almost all of the city of Mesa is served by public schools operated by
Mesa Public Schools.
A small southern portion is served by the
Gilbert Public Schools.
A small western portion is served by the
Tempe Elementary School District and the
Tempe Union High School District.
Williams Air Force Base closed in 1993 and is now
Williams Gateway Airport and
ASU Polytechnic.
Mesa is also home to Falcon Field airport and aircraft museum. Originally opened at the beginning of
World War II for the training of British
RAF pilots, it was turned over to the City of Mesa at the end of the war.
* In the
Pima language, Mesa is known as
Mo:mli.
* Alternative/pop-punk band
Jimmy Eat World is from Mesa.
*
MLB Players
Adam Hyzdu and
Russ Ortiz reside in Mesa during the winters.
* Country music legend
Waylon Jennings is interred at the
Mesa City Cemetery.
* The waterpark used in
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure is Golfland/Sunsplash on Country Club and the 60.
Mesa, Arizona has five
sister cities, as designated by
Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
{| valign="top" |
*
Burnaby,
British Columbia,
Canada*
Caraz,
Peru*
Guaymas,
Mexico*
Kaiping,
China*
Upper Hutt,
New Zealand
