All About Mesa, Arizona

On March 4, 2005 the Mesa City Council voted unanimously to adopt a flag designed by Mesa resident Mary Jean Crider.

A cool place in the hot summer! Mesa Southwest Museum, your place for dinosaurs that roar and much more. The Valley's only natural history museum has the best dinosaurs in town, a history courtyard where visitors pan for gold, a native peoples' gallery includes a replica village and pottery. Three changing exhibition galleries offer a variety of interesting subjects. Currently, Paradise Lost: Arizona South of the Ice takes you back to Ice Age Arizona; Crocodiles: Ancient Survivors shows how little these creatures have changed; and The Southwest in Art displays pieces from the museum's own collection.

Hours: Tuesday through Friday - 10 am to 5 pm; Saturday - 11 am to 5 pm; Sunday - 1 pm to 5 pm (Closed Mondays and holidays)

Admission: $8 - Adults; $4 - Children 3-12; $7 - Seniors 65+; $6 - Students 13+ with ID; free - Children ages 2 & younger

Mesa's story is one of mysterious Indians, Spanish expeditions, early American explorers, Mormon migrations, a diverse community, and continual growth.
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.

There are several important historical buildings in Mesa still in existence. The Lehi School, built in 1913, is the oldest standing school building in Mesa today. The former elementary school, located at Lehi and Horne, is now the Mesa Historical Museum.

The Sirrine House, built in 1895, is an attractive brick structure at 160 North Center, restored by the Mesa Historical Society and the City of Mesa. Some other historic buildings in Mesa's Town Center are the Ellis-Johnson home at 49 West First Street, the Alhambra Hotel at 43 South Macdonald, and the Southside Hospital, now the Department of Economic Security, at Hibbert and Main Streets.

The Vance Auditorium, once located at 250 West Main Street, was built in 1907. The gala Grand Opening was held on February 14, 1908. It was the largest auditorium in the Southwest, praised as having the best dance floor in the region. Broadway productions traveling from New York performed at the Vance Auditorium, drawing residents of Phoenix, who came via train.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased the auditorium in 1919. The name was changed to Mezona in 1926. Dances at the Mezona were the main entertainment on Friday nights until 1972 when the building was demolished and the Mezona Inn replaced it.

A large grain elevator owned by Frihoff and Nielson, still located at Macdonald and Broadway, serviced an important crop in early Mesa. Citrus followed as a valuable commodity, especially in northeast Mesa. There is still a citrus warehouse by the railroad line on Broadway Road west of Country Club, although most of the citrus groves in the city have been converted to housing.

Welcome to Mesa, Arizona. Mesa, located in Maricopa County, is one of the nation's fastest-growing cities, with a population that grew by more than 37 percent between 1990 and 2000. Mesa boasts many reasons for their growth: low costs of doing business, reasonable tax structure, skilled and well-educated workforce, low crime rate, superior schools, affordable housing and an excellent quality of life.

Mesa is the third-largest city in Arizona and the nation's 38th-largest city. Taking advantage of Mesa's attractive lifestyle, more than 445,000 people call Mesa home. The City provides the advantages of a thriving metropolis while maintaining the feel of a suburban environment. Just 15 miles east of Phoenix, Mesa covers 128 square miles.

With dynamic recreational, educational and business environments, Mesa enjoys the best in a variety of amenities including parks within easy walking distance from home, a variety of sports facilities that cater to athletes young and old, highly rated golf courses for every skill level, a diversity of special events and community festivals, and Mesa's ever-popular Chicago Cubs Spring Training baseball.

For over fifty years Arizonans have marked the beginning of spring by the arrival of baseball. While most of the nation relies on the shadow of a groundhog to predict spring's arrival, it's the phrase "pitchers and catchers report" that signals the end of winter in the desert Southwest.

Blue skies along with temperatures ranging from the mid-70s to mid-80s make Arizona the perfect place for Spring Training. It's a place where kids can still meet their favorite stars and collect autographs.

You can visit the Cactus League website for full information on the schedules and ticket availability.

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