Mesa, Arizona

City of Mesa
Flag
Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Arizona
County	Maricopa
Government
- Mayor	Scott Smith (R)
Area
- Total	133.13 sq mi (324.2 km²)
- Land	132.93 sq mi (323.7 km²)
- Water	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km²)
Elevation	1,241 ft (378 m)
Population (2007)[1][2]
- Total	452,933
- Density	3,536.6/sq mi (1,365.6/km²)
Time zone	MST (no DST) (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	85200-85299
Area code(s)	480
FIPS code	04-46000
Website: http://www.mesaaz.gov/

Mesa (pronounced /ˈmeɪsə/ "MACE-uh") is a city in Maricopa County, in the U.S. state of Arizona and is a suburb of Phoenix, within the Phoenix Metropolitan Statistical 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 37th-largest. 2006 Census Bureau estimates put the city's population at 460,155.^[1]

The city has a larger population than better-known U.S. cities such as Cleveland, Miami, Minneapolis, or Tampa.

Although it has a large population, Mesa is a "bedroom community." Neighborhoods across the city are diverse — some areas have experienced urban blight, middle class and custom homes.

Mesa was founded in January 1878 by Latter-day Saint (LDS or Mormon) pioneers and its population is still roughly one-tenth Mormon. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints operates one of its oldest temples in Mesa (the Mesa Arizona Temple).

History

The history of Mesa dates back at least two thousand years to the arrival of the Hohokam people. The Hohokam, whose name means "All Used Up" or "The Departed Ones", built the original canal system. The canals were the largest and most sophisticated in the prehistoric New World. Some were up to 90 feet wide and ten feet deep at their head gates, extending for as far as 16 miles across the desert. By A.D.1100 water could be delivered to an area over 110,000 acres, transforming the Sonoran Desert into an agricultural oasis. By A.D.1450, the Hohokam had constructed hundreds of miles of canals many of which are still in use today.^[3]

After the disappearence of the Hohokam and before the arrival of the early settlers little is known, as explorers did not venture into this area. By the late 19th century near present-day Mesa, U.S. Army troops subdued the Apache opening the way for settlement.

Daniel Webster Jones led an expedition to found a Mormon settlement in Arizona. Leaving St. George, Utah in March of 1877, Jones and others arrived at Lehi, an area just north of present-day Mesa. Jones had been asked by LDS officials to direct a party of people in establishing a settlement in Arizona. This settlement was initially known as Jonesville and Fort Utah and did not receive the name of Lehi until 1883, when it was adopted on the suggestion of Brigham Young, Jr.^[4]

Daniel Webster Jones

At the same time, another group dubbed the First Mesa Company arrived from Utah and Idaho. Their leaders were named Crismon, Pomeroy, Robson, and Sirrine. Rather than accepting an invitation to settle at Jones' Lehi settlement, they moved to the top of the mesa that serves as the city's namesake. They dug irrigation canals, some of which were over the original Hohokam canals, and by April 1878, water was flowing through them. ^[5] The Second Mesa Company arrived in 1879 and settled to the east of where the First Mesa Company settled in 1880, due to lack of available farmland. This settlement was called Stringtown. ^[6]

On July 17. 1878, Mesa City was registered as a 1-square-mile townsite. The first school was built in 1879. In 1883, Mesa City was incorporated with a population of 300 people. Dr. A. J. Chandler, who would later go on to found the City of Chandler, worked on widening the Mesa Canal in 1895 to allow for enough flow to build a power plant. In 1917, the City of Mesa purchased the utility company. The revenues from the company provided enough for capital expenditures until the 1960s. During the Great Depression, WPA funds provided paved streets, a new hospital, a new town hall and a library. ^[7]

With the opening of Falcon Field and Williams Field in the early 1940s, more military personnel began to move into the Mesa area. With the advent of air conditioning and the rise of tourism, population growth exploded in Mesa as well as the rest of the Phoenix area. The 1950s and 1960s showed growth of commerce and industry, especially from early aerospace companies. As late as 1960, half of the residents of Mesa made a living with agriculture, but this has declined substantially as Mesa's suburban growth continued on track with the rest of the Phoenix metro area.^[8]

Demographics

As of the census^[9] 2001 estimate, there were 442,445 people, 146,643 households, and 99,863 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,171.3 people per square mile (1,224.4/km²). There were 175,701 housing units at an average density of 1,405.7/sq mi (542.8/km²).

The racial make-up of the city was 81.6% White, 2.4% Black or African American, 2.2% Native American, 2.00% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 9.3% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. 24.0% 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.

The population was diversified with respect to age 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. Mesa's residents exhibit a great deal of economic diversity, with low-income areas constructed somewhat close to high-scale neighborhoods with expensive custom homes. The neighborhood "Marlborough Mesa", along with many other neighborhoods, have won a community award.

Cultural attractions

LDS Mesa Arizona Temple

• 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 Arizona Wing Aircraft Museum - B-17 Sentimental Journey
  • Mesa Historical Society and Museum
  • Arizona Museum of Natural History
• Public Libraries
  • Main Library (MN)
  • Dobson Ranch Branch (DR)
  • Red Mountain Branch (RM)

• Part of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure was filmed in Mesa at the Golfland/Sunsplash waterpark on U.S. 60.

• The only skyscraper in Mesa is the Bank of America building near Fiesta Mall

• Mesa is the home of the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball team during Spring Training.

Amenities

The Superstition Springs Center is a shopping mall in East Mesa owned by Westcor. It features an outdoor amphitheatre and fountain which convert to a stage. Anchor stores at the mall are Dillard's, JCPenney, Macy's, Mervyn's, and Sears.

Main article: Superstition Springs Center

An older mall, Fiesta Mall, is located in west Mesa, and also owned by Westcor. The mall's anchors are Dillard's, Macy's, and Sears. It is located near several shopping centers, Mesa's Bank of America^[10], and other retail stores, banks, and restaurants. An expansion of Fiesta Mall has been planned.^[11]

Main article: Fiesta Mall

Mesa Riverview is a new outdoor destination retail center in the northwestern corner of the city, near Loop 202 and Dobson Road. At build-out the center will include of 1,300,000 square feet (121,000 m²) of retail space.^[12] The anchors include Bass Pro Shops, Cinemark Theaters, Wal-Mart, and Home Depot. Mesa Riverview also includes restaurants and specialty stores.

Main article: Mesa Riverview

Transportation

Several area freeways serve the Mesa area, such as U.S. Route 60, locally known as the Superstition Freeway, which runs between Apache Junction and Phoenix. It is also served by SR 87 and bypass loops Loop 101, which skirts the western city limits as the Price Freeway, and Loop 202, which bypasses the city on the north and east. Public transportation is provided by Valley Metro with buses running Monday through Saturday only; Mesa is the largest U.S. city with no public transit service on Sundays. Mesa is scheduled to be connected to the METRO Light Rail in December 2008 at Main and Sycamore, on the end of line section 5.

Air service in the city is provided by two airports. Falcon Field, located in the northeastern part of the city, was established as a training field for British RAF pilots during World War II and was transferred to the city at the end of the war. Boeing builds the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter at a facility adjoining Falcon Field. Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport is located in the far southeastern area of the city, and provides alternate but limited air service to Sky Harbor International Airport. Phoenix-Mesa Gateway was formerly Williams Gateway Airport, and before that, Williams Air Force Base, which closed in 1993. Williams Gateway was announced as a new Focus City for Allegiant Air. Service started October 25, 2007.

Main article: Metropolitan Phoenix Freeways

Education

Almost all of the city of Mesa is served by public schools operated by Mesa Public Schools; however, a small southern portion is served by the Gilbert Public Schools, and a small western portion is served by the Tempe Elementary School District and the Tempe Union High School District.

Mesa is also home to Mesa Community College, the largest of the Maricopa Community Colleges, which enrolls over 22,000 full and part time students. In addition, the Polytechnic campus of Arizona State University lies in southeast Mesa. This satellite campus enrolls over 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students in scientific and engineering fields.

Notable Residents

• Paul Robinett- aka "Renetto", famous internet personality.
• Brooke White- American Idol (season 7) Finalist
• Keri Russell - actress, resided in Mesa when she was younger.
• Autumn Hurlbert - reality show contestant & Broadway actress, raised in Mesa
• Jeremy Accardo- Professional Baseball Player
• Ernesto Miranda - Criminal who inspired the Miranda warning, born in Mesa
• Yuridia Francsica Gaxiola Florez- winner of the second place of a mexican reality show in mexico la academia
• Todd Heap - professional football player, Baltimore Ravens

Trivia

• In the Pima language, Mesa is known as Mo:mli.
• Alternative/pop-punk band Jimmy Eat World is from Mesa.
• Punk band Authority Zero is from Mesa.
• Actress Courtney Simpson is from Mesa.
• Actress Danielle Fishel 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 Drive at U.S. Route 60.
• Many scenes from the film The Kingdom were shot in Mesa, including segments on Loop 202 and the ASU Polytechnic Campus.
• Mexican diamond singer Yuridia Gaxiola moved to Mesa at age 9, and still considers it her hometown.
• British comedy actress Suzy Mandel lives in Mesa.

Sister cities

Mesa, Arizona has five sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

References

External links

• Mesa city government.
• Mesa Arizona Convention and Visitors Bureau - Tourism
• Mesa news, sports and things to do from The Mesa Republic newspaper
• City of Mesa Library on the Web.
• Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.
• Mesa travel guide from Wikitravel

• Mesa, Arizona is at coordinates

Municipalities and communities of Maricopa County, Arizona County seat: Phoenix Cities Apache Junction‡ | Avondale | Chandler | El Mirage | Glendale | Goodyear | Litchfield Park | Mesa | Peoria‡ | Phoenix | Scottsdale | Surprise | Tempe | Tolleson Towns Buckeye | Carefree | Cave Creek | Fountain Hills | Gila Bend | Gilbert | Guadalupe | Paradise Valley | Queen Creek‡ | Wickenburg | Youngtown CDPs New River | Rio Verde | Sun City | Sun City West | Sun Lakes Unincorporated communities Aguila | Anthem | Arlington | Circle City | Higley | Komatke | Laveen | Liberty | Mobile | Morristown | Palo Verde | Tonopah | Tortilla Flat | Waddell | Wintersburg | Wittmann Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

State of Arizona Phoenix (capital) Topics Climate | Culture | Economy | Education | Geography | History | People | Transportation | Visitor Attractions Regions Arizona Strip | Coconino Plateau | Colorado Plateau | Grand Canyon | Kaibab Plateau | Mogollon Plateau | Mogollon Rim | Mojave Desert | Monument Valley | North Central Arizona | Northeast Arizona | Northern Arizona | Oak Creek Canyon | Phoenix Metropolitan Area | Safford area | San Francisco Volcanic Field | Sonoran Desert | Southern Arizona | Verde Valley | White Mountains Counties Apache | Cochise | Coconino | Gila | Graham | Greenlee | La Paz | Maricopa | Mohave | Navajo | Pima | Pinal | Santa Cruz | Yavapai | Yuma Cities Chandler | Flagstaff | Gilbert | Glendale | Kingman | Lake Havasu City | Mesa | Peoria | Phoenix | Prescott | Scottsdale | Sierra Vista | Tempe | Tucson | Yuma

Mayors of cities with populations of 100,000 in Arizona     Phil Gordon (Phoenix) Bob Walkup (Tucson) Scott Smith (Mesa) Elaine Scruggs (Glendale) Boyd W. Dunn (Chandler) Mary Manross (Scottsdale) Steven M. Berman (Gilbert) Hugh Hallman (Tempe) Bob Barrett (Peoria)