A Brief History of Mesa, Arizona

Growth

With the exception of the decade of the 1920's, when the cotton prices plummeted, Mesa increased by at least 79% every decennial census through 1990. In 1990 the census showed Mesa to have the highest growth rate of any city over 100,00 in the United States. The population grew 89% from 152,404 in 1980 to 288,091 in 1990.

In 2002, Mesa's population was estimated to be 426,841, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. .In fact, Mesa's population grew by more than 37 percent between 1990 and 2000, much higher than the national average growth rate of 13 percent. With a progressive vision for the future, low cost of doing business, reasonable tax structure, well-educated workforce, low crime rate, superior schools, affordable housing and quality regional transportation system, Mesa is one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation.

From humble beginnings, Mesa has developed into the third largest city in Arizona and the 40th largest city in the United States. The Census Bureau now designates the Valley as the Phoenix-Mesa Metropolitan Statistical Area. Mesa's pioneers might not recognize the present-day city, but surely would be proud of what they began.