Mesa, Arizona

Families—generally those with lots of children.  Snowbirds from back east seem to love the area and converge with enthusiasm every October through April.  Some decide to stay permanently, and far east Mesa is home to countless senior-citizen-only mobile home parks, apartments and communities.  The town’s makeup is predominantly white, with almost 73% of the population.  It is also home to many Hispanics (almost 24%).  African-Americans, Native Americans and Asians each range between two to two-and-a-half percent of the population's makeup.  The average household income is over $53,000,  Surprisingly, the average age is 32, which seems as if it should be much older considering all the 55 and older crowd on the east side of town.

Truthfully, there’s not much of one.  Hard as it is to believe in a town this size, there are no real nightclubs.  There are a few sports bars, but drinking establishments are few and far between, and most of them are hole-in-the-wall type establishments.  Most Mesans wanting to get their groove on simply hop in their car and travel a few miles west, to downtown Tempe/ASU, a non-stop party area.

Rents in Mesa vary greatly.  It is still possible to find a one bedroom apartment for rent in Mesa for around $500, but beware of really low rents, as those locations are generally not in the best part of town.  Most decent apartments will run in the $700-900 a month range, and the really nice ones go for a thousand a month or better.  ASU students often chose to rent in Mesa, due to its close proximity to campus and lower rents than Tempe.  Even the most modest apartment complexes will offer a pool and Jacuzzi area, while the better ones offer weight rooms, laundry rooms (or in-home washer/dryers), community rooms, playground for the children and more. 

There’s a bus system, but it’s not the greatest.  Most buses run on a half-hour schedule and stick to it very loosely. . . buses can arrive five minutes early or as much as fifteen minutes late.  Quite unreliable if you have to be somewhere (like work!) at a specific time.  Also, waiting at bus stops in the middle of summer can be a very dangerous thing to do, when the heat index rises to points not fit for man or beast.  However, the buses are generally clean and well-kept, and most drivers will wait if you’re running to catch up.  Phoenix and Tempe now offer light rail, and eventually Mesa will have tracks laid from Tempe to downtown Mesa, which will make getting to Phoenix much quicker and easier. 

Getting around in Mesa isn’t hard —just remember that Main Street is zero point for north and south, and Center is zero point for east and west.  The major north-south roads are (from the west end to the east) Dobson, Alma School, Country Club, Mesa, Stapley, Gilbert, Lindsay, Val Vista, Greenfield, Higley, Recker, Power, Sossaman, Ellsworth, Crismon  and Signal Butte.  The major east-west roads are (from the north edge of town to the south) McDowell, McKellips, Brown, University, Main, Broadway, Southern, Baseline and Guadalupe.  If you can keep this grid in mind, it’s easy to look at an address and know roughly where it’s located.

Parking is something we never have to worry about—it’s free and plentiful.  Even the downtown area is not metered, but there is an enthusiastic force that gleefully tickets errant drivers that stay just a few minutes past their allotted time.

While the area surrounding downtown Mesa holds some of the nicest older homes, the rental situation in the area is not the greatest.  Also, the main police department is just a few blocks south of downtown and anyone living in the area had better get used to sirens.  Be cautious if renting on the Mesa-Tempe border as many places have slightly higher rents (to take advantage of ASU students) while not offering much in the way of amenities.  Apartments out near Superstition Springs mall are the best in town, since all are newer, most have been constructed in the past 10 to 15 years. 

The rental market is quite competitive, so it’s not unusual to have big complexes offer one month’s free rent with a one year lease, or to waive the security deposit or offer some kind of incentive to get renters to move in.  Shop around and compare, because there are some great bargains and offers to be had, simply to entice you to move in.

If you like baseball, Mesa is the place to be every February and March, when the boys of summer arrive en masse for spring training.  Mesa is the proud location of Hohokam Park (on Center, just north of Brown), home of the Chicago Cubs spring training field.  It also has two venues for concerts and performing arts, the Mesa Amphitheater (University and Center) and the Mesa Arts Center (MAC) at Main and Center.  While neither place is overwhelmingly large, both regularly host well-known singers.  The arts center also offers up comedians, live theatre, symphonies ballet and more. 

Mesa has two full-size shopping malls, Fiesta Mall to the west (US 60 and Alma School Road) and Superstition Mall (Power and Southern Roads) to the east.  The new Mesa Riverview shopping center at the Loop 202 and Dobson has all sorts of name brand stores and restaurants, and most guys love going there to shop at the gigantic Bass ProShop, which just opened in 2007.  There’s also a large weekend open-air place called the Mesa Swap Meet.  Unfortunately, it is not a flea market but it is a great place to buy new tchochkes and souvenirs for the folks back home.  Downtown Mesa is a mish-mash of stores, but there are a few gems.  If you like antiques don’t miss the Mesa Antique Plaza downtown or Treasures From The Past at McKellips and Center.  Both are large antique malls full of fun stuff. 

Mesa is also home to several museums:

*Arizona Natural History Museum (53 N. MacDonald) is about all things Arizona.  There’s an actual old jail cell inside, an interesting exhibit dedicated to all the movies that have been filmed in the area and a permanent animatronics dinosaur display.  Learn about desert flora and fauna as well as the Indians that once roamed the area.

*Arizona Museum For Youth (35 N. Robson)  features wonderful art, classes and exhibits aimed at children.

*Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum (located in the MAC--Mesa Arts Center) has art on display from both famous artists and new local up-and-comers

*Arizona Wing CAF Flying Museum (2017 N Greenfield Road) holds several actual war planes and displays covering the vast history of our armed forces.

Mesa has three libraries.  The main one is just south of Main street in the downtown area, and the two satellite libraries are located to the far east (on Power Road near Brown) and the west side of town (on Dobson south of Baseline).  Due to the large senior citizen contingent in town, Mesa also has two senior centers.  The main one is just south of downtown, at 247 N. MacDonald, and the other is on the east side at 7550 E. Adobe.  Both offer a nice community for Mesa seniors and visiting winter 55-and-older set.

The area around Fiesta Mall and US 60 experiences traffic congestion and should be avoided.  For some reason, the areas around both Broadway Road and Country Club Drive are less desirable. While each has small pockets of nice neighborhoods, for the most part, both are the higher crime areas in town.  The best sections of town are west of Gilbert Road but be cautious if going too far east, or you’ll be residing amongst a lot of senior citizens.  The far northeast corner is the nicest spot in Mesa, great views and a feeling of being away from it all.  Unfortunately, rentals are rare here, as it is mainly a residential community.  The zip code 85213 is a good area, as it is centrally located, has all the amenities needed and close access to both freeways.  The area around Superstition Mall is also a safe and clean area in which to settle.

Mesa has plenty of everything:

Bally’s, Fitness Works, LA Fitness and other privately owned gyms are all across town, and waits at most are not overly long.  Some of the nicer apartment complexes provide work-out and weight rooms for the residents.

Grocery stores are plentiful; it’s rare to have to drive more than a few miles to reach one from any place in town.  Fry’s Grocery Stores seem to be on just about every other corner, and both Safeway and Albertsons are represented as well.  Locally owned Basha’s and Food City are in town, as is the upscale grocery store, AJ’s Fine Foods, and we also have a Trader Joes.  If that’s not enough, we have several mega Wal-Marts, a Sam’s Club and a Costco.  The good news is that in such a competitive market, the consumer wins.  Grocery prices are lower here than other parts of the country and the stores’ ads and gimmicks (always double coupons and sometimes triple at Fry’s and Safeway) make for a reasonable grocery bill.

Most bank chains are represented, but the big guy in town seems to be Wells Fargo.  Compass, Bank Of America and several smaller banks abound, and the Desert Schools Credit Union is a large lender as well.  While there are several free-standing banks, every large grocery store has one bank chain or another right inside the store, making it convenient and a short wait to get your banking done.

Mesa is not only a large city, it is also a huge tourist destination during the winter, and for that reason jobs in the service industry abound.  Positions in local hotels and restaurants are generally plentiful.  The retail scene in Mesa is very much alive, and there are generally many available positions as managers, clerks, customer service and more. The City Of Mesa is usually hiring in the various parts of city government, and schools are always looking for great teachers.  One of the hottest fields in Mesa, and all of the Valley, for that matter, is in medicine.  Mesa has three hospitals and countless clinics, and with our large senior population there's always a shortage of employees in nursing, clerical, pharmacological areas and more.  Due to the so-so public transit system, almost everyone owns a car, so positions in auto sales and service are always available.  TRW, the airbag component manufacturer is one of the town's larger employers.  General Motors has a proving ground on the far east side of town and Boeing has a factory in the Falcon Field area.  Mesa'a unemployment rate hovers between 3.5-6%, and is usually much lower than the national average.

With all of the many and varied employees in Mesa, as well as easy access to Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe and other parts of the valley, the job situation in Mesa is generally strong.

Mesa has 58 grade schools, 13 junior high schools and 7 high schools as well as several private and charter schools. 

Sports are like a religion at some of the schools in Mesa.  The Mountain View High School Toros have consistently placed in most areas of sports and their football team has always been one of the best in the state. 

Mesa Community College, located near Fiesta Mall, offers programs in health and nursing, computer/IT management, Native American studies and much more. The college also provides classes in writing, art, ESL and more for the community in general.  The state’s largest university, Arizona State, is located right next door to Mesa in Tempe, Arizona.

Like much of the country, Mesa is in a bit of real estate depresssion.  All areas of the town have lost 8 to 22% of the home value in the past year.  However, houses in the city have made an overall astonishing gain in just the past six years.  A 30% increase in value is very typical, and some areas have experienced as much as 50%.  The most affordable areas are in zip codes 85204 and 85201, with average home values in the $160,000 range. Zip codes 85213 and 85207 have home averages in the high $200,000's to the low $300,000s.  The average home price in Mesa for 2008 is $209,500.

It is still possible to find places to live for under $100,000, but most would be either a condo or a mobile home.  Mesa has dozens of mobile home parks and most of them are kept in very good condition.  This type of housing is very popular with the winter visitors.  

There are luxury homes in the million dollar plus range; for the most part these are available in the upper northeast part of town.  The most expensive homes in Mesa top out in the $3.5 million range.

The east valley is not experiencing as huge a problem with foreclosures as the west side is, but there are currently some incredible bargains to be had on foreclosed places in Mesa, with savings of 20-30% or more.  Mesa's most expenxive housing area, in the 85207 zip code, had a traditional median resaleprice of $307,000 so far this year.  That same zip has an average sales price of $189,700 on foreclosed homes that have been sold.

Mesa has two seasons: 'summer' and 'not summer.'   Hot weather arrives early to mid May and lingers on until early October. From June through September, the mercury hits triple digits almost daily.  July is the hottest month, with an average of 105, and there is always a very real possibility of temps climbing into the one-teens. The hottest July day on record was 121.  In the meanest part of summer, it can be 90 degrees outside. . . at midnight. During the summer it is recommended to stay indoors from 10am until 3pm when the sun is at its worst. In the desert climes, it is very easy to become dehydrated. Sweat evaporates so quickly you don't realize you're depleted until it's too late. Heat stroke, anyone?

Rain is rare, in fact the average yearly total rainfall for the area is less than nine inches. The wildest weather experienced is generally in July, during "monsoon season." These storms come out of nowhere, with violent winds and torrential rains. The monsoon may bring blinding dust storms, and you may also encounter "microbursts", wind gusts strong enough to uproot trees and tear roofs off buildings. If you're outside when a storm hits, get indoors and if you're in a vehicle, get off the road and wait for it to die down.

The great weather and--not coincidentally--tourist season starts in October, when the average daytime temp is 88, and the nights are in the 60's. The decline into winter is gradual; January is our chilliest month, with a daily mean of 66 degrees, and at night it can drop into the 30's.

In all, Mesa experiences over 330 sunny days a year, which is why most of us choose to live in "The Valley of the Sun."