Living in Mesa - The Best City East of Phoenix

What Makes Mesa AZ Special? The history of Mesa dates back at least 2,000 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.  With the opening of Falcon Field and Williams Field in the early 1940s, more military personnel began to move into the Mesa area. With the advent of air conditioning and the rise of tourism, population growth exploded in Mesa as well as the rest of the Phoenix area.   Located in the quaintly named Maricopa County, Mesa is a city in the state of Arizona and shares a border with the Salt River Pima- Maricopa Indian Community. With a population of over 400,000 inhabitants, Mesa is the third largest city in Arizona after Phoenix and Tucson, and is filled with museums, art work, hiking opportunities, and delicious food and drink.   The combination of desert and mountains makes Mesa a year-round destination.Central and Western Arizona. The desert regions of central and western Arizona offer excellent winter recreation, ranging from the lowlands along the