Phoenix Arizona Real Estate Online

Mesa

Located at an elevation of about 100 feet above Phoenix, Mesa gets its name from the Spanish word for plateau.  The city was founded in 1878 by Mormon pioneers who split off from the community which became what is now Scottsdale and the population is still roughly 25% Mormon.  With a total population of over 450,000, Mesa has the largest number of Mormon inhabitants of any city in the world, surpassing even Salt Lake City.

The 85 pioneers who founded Mesa left Scottsdale and moved to the southeast, near the ancient Hohokam canals.  The 125 miles of canal are some of the earliest surviving historical examples of irrigation and are still a rough marker for the Scottsdale-Mesa border.

Downtown Mesa is the home of a more than 200,000 square foot, $94.5 million arts complex which has four theatres and 5,500 square feet of museum exhibition space.  The complex, called the Mesa Arts Center, is one of the city’s newest attractions, while the Church of Latter Day Saints Temple is one of the oldest.  The temple, completed in 1927 (five years after groundbreaking in 1922), is one of the first Church of Latter Day Saints Temples ever built.  In fact, it was built before the typical architecture of Church of Latter Day Saints Temples was established and is unique in not having the characteristic spires which are typical of these temples.

Relocating to Mesa Arizona

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