# Timeline of Mesa, Arizona

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Mesa, Arizona, United States.

## Prior to 20th century

* 1878 – Mormon settlers arrive.
* 1883
** Mesa City incorporated. The townsite's bounded by Broadway Road on the south, Mesa Drive on the east, University Drive on the north, & Country Club Drive on the west.
** Alexander Findlay Macdonald becomes mayor.
* 1892 – Mesa Free Press newspaper begins publication.
* 1896 – Sirrine House built.

## 20th century
### 1900s–1960s

* 1902 – Evans School for Boys opens; later renamed Mesa Ranch School
* 1908 – Granite Reef Diversion Dam is completed; the Salt River Valley Water Users' Association permanently provides water for irrigation canals in Mesa from this point, replacing the earlier Mormon-lead efforts
* 1909 – The original "Old Main" campus of Mesa High School opens
** Mesa installs potable waterworks system
* 1911 – Roosevelt Dam is completed, regulating the flow of the Salt River for the first time, and providing cheap electrical power to parts of Mesa
** Mesa takes over irrigation system operation within incorporated city limits
* 1915 – Mesa installs sanitary sewer system and septic tank tract at Riverview
* 1917 – Mesa purchases existing gas and electric utilities from Dr. A.J. Chandler
* 1921 – Mesa Welfare League founded.
* 1923 – Mesa Tribune newspaper begins publication.
* 1927 – Mesa Arizona Temple dedicated (first time).
* 1928 – first production of the Mesa Arizona Easter Pageant
* 1931 – Town area expanded.
* 1937 – City Hall built.
* 1941
** U.S. Williams Air Force Base established.
** British Flying Training School at Falcon Field active near Mesa
* 1948
** Mesa Country Club established.
** Falcon Field becomes part of Mesa
* 1949 – Modern wastewater treatment plant built at Riverview
* 1950
** KTYL-FM radio begins broadcasting.
** Population: 16,790.
* 1953 – General Motors Desert Proving Grounds opens
** KTYL-TV (channel 12; the current day KPNX) launches. The NBC affiliate continues to be licensed to Mesa, but operates from Phoenix
** Mesa celebrates 75th anniversary Diamond Jubilee
** 10 million gallon Pasadena city reservoir completed
* 1962 – Westwood High School opens
* 1965 – Mesa Community College, and Adelante con Mesa established.
* 1967
** Regional Maricopa Association of Governments established.
** Original "Old Main" building of Mesa High School burns to the ground
* 1968
** Tri City Mall in business.
** KMND radio begins broadcasting.
** City of Mesa takes over operations of Falcon Field

### 1970s–1990s

* 1970
** Lehi becomes part of city.
** Population: 63,049.
* 1971 – Prehab of Mesa (youth-related nonprofit) established.
* 1972
** Mesa High School reopens at a new location (farther east and south)
** Mesa Central High School opens at site of original Mesa High campus
* 1973 – Dobson Ranch planned community began selling homes in the first phase of its 26-year development
* 1975
** After extensive renovations, the Mesa Arizona Temple is rededicated
** The Park of the Canals is added to the National Register of Historic Places; work then commences for developing park facilities and later the botanical garden
* 1976 – Mountain View High School opens
* 1977
** Mesa Southwest Museum (later renamed the Arizona Museum of Natural History) founded
** the original Hohokam Park opens
* 1978 – Western Design Center is founded by Bill Mensch
** Mesa celebrates 100-year Centennial
* 1979
** Fiesta Mall in business.
** Mesa Amphitheatre built.
** Mesa Weekly News begins publication.
* 1980
** Population: 152,453.
** Arizona Museum for Youth opens
** Used Cars, filmed primarily in Mesa, opens in theaters
* 1981
** Dobson High School opens
** Mesa Sister Cities Association and Mesa United Way active.
** Sister city relationship established with Guaymas, Mexico.
** Champlin Fighter Museum opens
* 1983
** Sister city relationship established with Upper Hutt, New Zealand.
** Mesa Golfland opens, expanding to become Golfland Sunsplash by 1986
* 1984 – Al Brooks becomes mayor.
* 1987
** Mesa Historical Museum opens
** Living Word Bible Church active.
* 1988
** Peggy Rubach becomes mayor.
** Red Mountain High School opens
* 1989 – Sister city relationship established with Caraz, Peru.
* 1990
** Population: 288,091.
** Superstition Springs Center opens
** first section of Arizona State Route 202 opens; downtown Lehi was removed to make way for it
* 1991
** East Valley Institute of Technology Main campus opens
** Mesa Community Action Network active.
* 1992
** Willie Wong becomes mayor.
** Mesa Solar Sox is founded
* 1993
** Sister city relationship established with Kaiping, China.
** Williams Air Force Base closes, begins transition to Williams Gateway Airport
* 1994
** Williams Gateway Airport opens
** Paz De Cristo Community Center opens
* 1995
** A.T. Still University's Arizona School of Health Sciences opens
** Heritage Academy (Arizona) opens
** the current Organ Stop Pizza location in Mesa is opened
* 1996
** City website online.
** Wayne Brown becomes mayor.
** Arizona State University at the Polytechnic campus opens on the former Williams Air Force Base
** Sun Valley High School opens
* 1997
** Harkins Superstition Springs cinema in business.
** Noah Webster School opens.
** the new HoHoKam Stadium opens
* 1998 – Tri City Mall closes, all existing buildings demolished except for former site of JCPenney store, which remains standing until 2006
* 1999
** Skyline High School opens
** AMC Mesa Grand 24 cinema in business.
** Saint Ignatius of Antioch Church active (approximate date).
** Sister city relationship established with Burnaby, Canada.
* 2000
** Keno Hawker becomes mayor.
** Population: 396,375.

## 21st century

* 2002 – Desert Ridge High School opens; it is physically located in Mesa, but is part of Gilbert Public Schools instead of Mesa Public Schools.
* 2003
** Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health opens at A.T. Still University's Mesa campus
** Champlin Fighter Museum closed
* 2005
** Mesa Arts Center built.
** Mesa Miners is founded
** Mesa adopts city flag
* 2006 – Mesa Preparatory Academy opens
* 2007
** Mesa Riverview opens
** Gateway 12/IMAX Theatre (cinema) in business.
** A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona opens at A.T. Still University's Mesa campus
* 2008
** October: Immigration raid by Maricopa County Sheriff.
** Sycamore Drive and Main Street Valley Metro Rail station opens, in front of the former Tri City Mall location; it is the first Metro Light Rail station in Mesa, and is the eastern terminator until future expansions are completed
** Scott Smith becomes mayor.
* 2009
** closure of the General Motors Desert Proving Grounds is completed
** East Valley Mormon Choral Organization established, as part of the Millennial Choirs and Orchestras
* 2010
** United Food Bank active.
** Population: city 439,041; metro 4,192,887.
* 2011
** East Valley Institute of Technology East campus opened, adjacent to ASU Polytechnic
** Humanist Society of Greater Phoenix active.
* 2012
** February 22: Republican Party presidential primaries debate held.
** December 10: Alexander murder trial begins.
* 2013
** Mesa Grande Cultural Park opens.
** Matt Salmon becomes U.S. representative for Arizona's 5th congressional district and Kyrsten Sinema becomes U.S. representative for Arizona's 9th congressional district.
** the inaugural Visit Mesa Gateway Classic annual golf tournament is held
* 2014
** Cubs Park opens
* 2021 - after renovations and redevelopment of the surrounding area, the Mesa Arizona Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is rededicated on December, 12th 2021.