Mesa was founded in January 1878 by Latter-day Saint (LDS or Mormon) pioneers.  Mesa is one of the United States' fastest-growing cities, and currently ranks as the 37th-largest. 2006 Census Bureau estimates put the city's population at 460,155.  The city proper has a larger population than better-known U.S. cities such as Cleveland, Miami, Minneapolis, or Tampa.  Although it has a large population,.

Mesa is located in the southeast part of the Greater Phoenix area. It is one of the cities that is included in a general area referred to as the East Valley. The town offices of Mesa are about 10 miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Mesa, Arizona covers about 131 square miles, and the elevation of Mesa is about 1,241 feet.

The Superstition Springs Center is an indoor shopping mall in East Mesa.  It features an outdoor amphitheatre and fountain which convert to a stage. Anchor stores at the mall are Dillard's, JCPenney, Macy's, Mervyn's, and Sears.  An older mall, Fiesta Mall, is located in west Mesa. The mall's anchors are Dillard's, Macy's, and Sears.

Mesa is the home of the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball team during Spring Training.

Air service in the city is provided by two airports. Falcon Field, located in the northeastern part of the city, Boeing builds the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter at a facility adjoining Falcon Field. Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport is located in the far southeastern area of the city, and provides alternate but limited air service to Sky Harbor International Airport.

The largest non-government employers in Mesa are:

·         Wells Fargo

·         Countrywide Financial

·         Staples

·         Banner Health

·         Medical Connections

·         Anadigm, Inc.

·         Brown & Brown Chevrolet

·         Cruise America, Inc.

·         Empire Southwest, LLC