Timeline of Mesa, Arizona

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Mesa, Arizona, United States.

This is an incomplete list that may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Prior to 20th century

• 1878 - Mormon settlers arrive.^[1]
• 1883
  • Mesa City incorporated.
  • Alexander Findlay Macdonald becomes mayor.
• 1892 - Mesa Free Press newspaper begins publication.^[2]
• 1896 - Sirrine House built.^[3]

20th century

• 1902 - Evans School for Boys opens; later renamed Mesa Ranch School
• 1908 - Granite Reef Diversion Dam is completed; the Salt River Valley Water Users' Association permanently provides water for irrigation canals in Mesa from this point, replacing the earlier Mormon-lead efforts
• 1909 - The original "Old Main" campus of Mesa High School opens
  • Mesa installs potable waterworks system
• 1911 - Roosevelt Dam is completed, regulating the flow of the Salt River for the first time, and providing cheap electrical power to parts of Mesa
  • Mesa takes over irrigation system operation within incorporated city limits
• 1915 - Mesa installs sanitary sewer system
• 1917 - Mesa purchases existing gas and electric utilities from Dr. A.J. Chandler
• 1921 - Mesa Welfare League founded.
• 1923 - Mesa Tribune newspaper begins publication.^[2]
• 1927 - Mesa Arizona Temple dedicated (first time).^[1]
• 1928 - first production of the Mesa Arizona Easter Pageant
• 1931 - Town area expanded.^[1]
• 1937 - City Hall built.
• 1941
  • U.S. Williams Air Force Base established.
  • British Flying Training School at Falcon Field active near Mesa^[4][5]
• 1948
  • Mesa Country Club established.^[6]
  • Falcon Field becomes part of Mesa^[5]
• 1949
  • Modern wastewater treatment plant built at Riverview
• 1950
  • KTYL-FM radio begins broadcasting.
  • Population: 16,790.
• 1953 - General Motors Desert Proving Grounds opens
  • Mesa celebrates 75th anniversary Diamond Jubilee
  • 10 million gallon Pasadena city reservoir completed
• 1962 - Westwood High School opens
• 1965 - Mesa Community College, and Adelante con Mesa^[7] established.
• 1967 - Original "Old Main" building of Mesa High School burns to the ground
• 1968
  • Tri City Mall in business.
  • KMND radio begins broadcasting.
  • City of Mesa takes over operations of Falcon Field^[5]
• 1970
  • Lehi becomes part of city.^[8]
  • Population: 63,049.
• 1971 - Prehab of Mesa (youth-related nonprofit) established.^[9]
• 1972 - Mesa High School reopens at a new location (farther east and south)
• 1972 - Mesa Central High School opens at site of original Mesa High campus
• 1973 - Dobson Ranch planned community began selling homes in the first phase of its 26-year development
• 1975
  • After extensive renovations, the Mesa Arizona Temple is rededicated
  • The Park of the Canals is added to the National Register of Historic Places; work then commences for developing park facilities and later the botanical garden
• 1976 - Mountain View High School opens
• 1977
  • Mesa Southwest Museum (later renamed the Arizona Museum of Natural History) founded
  • the original Hohokam Park opens
• 1978 - Western Design Center is founded by Bill Mensch
  • Mesa celebrates 100-year Centennial
• 1979
  • Fiesta Mall in business.
  • Mesa Amphitheatre built.
  • Mesa Weekly News begins publication.^[2]
• 1980
  • Population: 152,453.^[10]
  • Arizona Museum for Youth opens
  • Used Cars, filmed primarily in Mesa, opens in theaters
• 1981
  • Mesa Sister Cities Association^[11] and Mesa United Way^[12] active.
  • Sister city relationship established with Guaymas, Mexico.^[11]
  • Champlin Fighter Museum opens
• 1983
  • Dobson High School opens
  • Sister city relationship established with Upper Hutt, New Zealand.^[11]
  • Mesa Golfland opens, expanding to become Golfland Sunsplash by 1986
• 1984 - Al Brooks becomes mayor.
• 1987
  • Mesa Historical Museum opens
  • Living Word Bible Church active.^[13]
• 1988
  • Peggy Rubach becomes mayor.
  • Red Mountain High School opens
• 1989 - Sister city relationship established with Caraz, Peru.^[11]
• 1990
  • Population: 288,104.
  • Superstition Springs Center opens
  • first section of Arizona State Route 202 opens; downtown Lehi was removed to make way for it
• 1991
  • East Valley Institute of Technology Main campus opens
  • Mesa Community Action Network active.^[7][14]
• 1992
  • Willie Wong becomes mayor.
  • Mesa Solar Sox is founded
• 1993
  • Sister city relationship established with Kaiping, China.^[11]
  • Williams Air Force Base closes, begins transition to Williams Gateway Airport
• 1994
  • Williams Gateway Airport opens
  • Paz De Cristo Community Center opens^[15]
• 1995
  • A.T. Still University's Arizona School of Health Sciences opens
  • Heritage Academy (Arizona) opens
  • the current Organ Stop Pizza location in Mesa is opened
• 1996
  • Wayne Brown becomes mayor.
  • Arizona State University at the Polytechnic campus opens on the former Williams Air Force Base
  • Sun Valley High School opens
• 1997
  • Harkins Superstition Springs cinema in business.^[16]
  • Noah Webster School opens.^[17]
  • the new HoHoKam Stadium opens
• 1998 - Tri City Mall closes, all existing buildings demolished except for former site of JCPenney store, which remains standing until 2006
• 1999
  • Skyline High School opens
  • AMC Mesa Grand 24 cinema in business.^[16]
  • Saint Ignatius of Antioch Church active (approximate date).^[13]
  • Sister city relationship established with Burnaby, Canada.^[11]

21st century

• 2000
  • Keno Hawker becomes mayor.
  • Population: 396,375.^[18]
• 2002 - Desert Ridge High School opens; it is physically located in Mesa, but is part of Gilbert Public Schools instead of Mesa Public Schools.
• 2003
  • Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health opens at A.T. Still University's Mesa campus
  • Champlin Fighter Museum closed
• 2005
  • Mesa Arts Center built.
  • Mesa Miners is founded
  • Mesa adopts city flag
• 2006 - Mesa Preparatory Academy opens
• 2007
  • Mesa Riverview opens
  • Gateway 12/IMAX Theatre (cinema) in business.^[16]
  • A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona opens at A.T. Still University's Mesa campus
• 2008
  • October: Immigration raid by Maricopa County Sheriff.^[19]
  • Sycamore Drive and Main Street Metro Light Rail (Phoenix) station opens, in front of the former Tri City Mall location; it is the first Metro Light Rail station in Mesa, and is the eastern terminator until future expansions are completed
  • Scott Smith becomes mayor.^[20]
• 2009
  • closure of the General Motors Desert Proving Grounds is completed
  • East Valley Mormon Choral Organization established, as part of the Millennial Choirs and Orchestras
• 2010
  • United Food Bank active.^[21][22]
  • Population: 439,041.^[23]
• 2011
  • East Valley Institute of Technology East campus opened, adjacent to ASU Polytechnic
  • Humanist Society of Greater Phoenix active.^[13][24]
• 2012
  • February 22: Republican Party presidential primaries debate held.^[25]
  • December 10: Alexander murder trial begins.
• 2013
  • Mesa Grande Cultural Park opens.^[26]
  • Matt Salmon becomes U.S. representative for Arizona's 5th congressional district and Kyrsten Sinema becomes U.S. representative for Arizona's 9th congressional district.^[27]
  • the inaugural Visit Mesa Gateway Classic annual golf tournament is held
• 2014
  • Cubs Park opens

See also

• History of Mesa, Arizona
• List of Mayors of Mesa, Arizona
• Timeline of Phoenix, Arizona
• Timeline of Tucson, Arizona

References

Further reading

• Ory Mazar Nergal, ed. (1980), "Mesa, AZ", Encyclopedia of American Cities, New York: E.P. Dutton, OL 4120668M 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mesa, Arizona.

• "Mesa (Ariz.)". Collection Directory. Arizona Memory Project. 
• Arizona Archives Online. Materials related to Mesa, various dates
• Digital Public Library of America. Items related to Mesa, Arizona, various dates
• Library of Congress, Prints & Photos Division. Materials related to Mesa, Arizona, various dates
• Heritage Wall, Arizona Museum of Natural History

Coordinates: 33°24′54″N 111°49′53″W / 33.415°N 111.831389°W / 33.415; -111.831389