Time to give it up for Mesa (Phoenix, Scottsdale: work, houses)

[az1969]

Seems there are a lot on this board with serious Mesa issues. I don't get it..I've lived in Dobson Ranch for 2 years and I think it's ideal. Reasonable house prices, nice neighbourhoods, good schools, great location (30 mins and you're in scottsdale or tempe if you want class entertainment) and pretty low crime. I checked out some of the newer houses out east but they don't have any personality and the commutes a nightmare. Sure there are some sketchy neighbourhoods but frankly for the money I wouldn't live anywhere else in Phoenix metro. I await the abuse....

[vegaspilgrim]

I wouldn't say I "like" Mesa, but I do end up going there quite a lot, mainly because there's a lot of unique restaurants and eateries there tucked away in old shopping centers that I like to eat at. And stores like Bookman's. Overall, it does feel like a very grungy place. Very similar to the older parts of Central Phoenix (away from the modern redeveloped areas)-- not much difference between Indian School, Thomas, McDowell and Country Club and Alma School. I'm talking about the old parts of Mesa-- I'm not in East Mesa very often. For many people, I'm sure living in Mesa works out just fine.

[sheena]

Originally Posted by az1969

Seems there are a lot on this board with serious Mesa issues. I don't get it..I've lived in Dobson Ranch for 2 years and I think it's ideal. Reasonable house prices, nice neighbourhoods, good schools, great location (30 mins and you're in scottsdale or tempe if you want class entertainment) and pretty low crime. I checked out some of the newer houses out east but they don't have any personality and the commutes a nightmare. Sure there are some sketchy neighbourhoods but frankly for the money I wouldn't live anywhere else in Phoenix metro. I await the abuse....

Dobson Ranch is not that bad. I used to really like it back in the day. It's just that the pride of ownership has gone down hill somewhat, lots of renters. It's the areas of Mesa north of baseline I don't like not Dobson Ranch.

[Boatdrinks]

I think it's great that you like Mesa. Why would anyone abuse you for that? I, personally, don't care for it, but that doesn't mean it's a bad place. Just means it's not for me. If everyone liked only the same places, it'd get a bit crowded after a while

[twiggy]

Dobson Ranch isn't really Mesa. It's more like Chandler and Tempe. It's right on the border, some of our goodness has rubbed off on your area so you don't notice what's wrong with the rest of Mesa. lol (I'm kidding)
My mood today is a bit playful.
Mesa's not that bad, it's just it's politics are a little off.

[Acrelots]

I live in Mesa and have always felt it is the town of wide streets and small minds. The politics and planning reflect the total lack of vision for this town of good ol boys. The sense of Arrival coming home is welcomed by a big sewer plant,(Mesa's version of an entry monument announcing your arrival), then a subsidized strip center on steroids called Riverview, followed by open pit gravel pits that will be eye sores forever then 5 miles of old trailer parks and your home in north mesa. Not exactly a meadering trail though the beautiful desert but it is cheap relative to the rest of the valley for obvious reasons. Now I have decided that I can have a nice house in a relatively convenient location if I just admit that I can get no where in 10 minutes and anywhere in 20. It is about 10 minutes to the sewer plant that I call the entry monument to Mesa and from there you can get anywhere nice in 10 minutes. Downtown Phoenix, Chandler fashion , Scottsdale fashion, north scottsdale etc. Thus in 20 minutes you can be any one of many nice places and you don't have to spend your money in a poorly planned place like Mesa and they can keep giving away tax subsidies to more developers trying to hide the sewer plant. The waveyard is the next big tax subsidy they want to give away. My thought is if the project works then it works without a tax subsidy and if takes that subsidy then it doesn't work so don't do it. That from the mouth of a developer.

[mhouse2001]

Mesa has 450,000 people. It is larger than Miami, Kansas City, and Minneapolis. Yet it offers its citizens nothing that wasn't already there: great weather, nice desert scenery. It is a dump full of good ol' boy politics, no downtown, no style, no individuality, no identity. Look at what Scottsdale has done with half the population. Of course, Scottsdale chose to appeal to the wealthier and cash in on the scenery and weather. Meanwhile, Mesa languished like an old codger too bitter to stray away from his trailer park.

People on this thread and others say you can be 'somewhere' in 10 or 20 minutes. Why would you want to live 10 to 20 minutes from somewhere? Do you like living in your car (and if so, gee, thanks for the traffic congestion)? Mesa could be so much more, but it desperately clings to its conservative values at the expense of creating an identity, a 'somewhere' for its soon to be half million residents. There are far better places in Arizona.

[Valley Native]

Mesa is the 40th largest city in the U.S. as far as population is concerned ... but where's the city? It's a long stretch of sprawl with no real downtown area, no large corporations or industry, and very little to see or do (unless you want to count the Mormon Temple). And east Mesa is a sight for sore eyes with endless rows of trailer parks!

The few times Mesa makes national news, it's usually about a crime spree. And since very few people outside Arizona know about Mesa, it's often described to a national audience as a "small bedroom community east of Phoenix". That's the reputation it has! It's one of the most populous suburban cities in the nation, but portrayed as a sleepy town. Doesn't anybody in Mesa care about their city's image?