Mesa since the 1980's (Phoenix, Scottsdale: loan, homes, transfer to)

[Daniel_78]

Hello all,

Recently some business work will put me back in the Phoenix area, and its got me reminiscing about growing up there.

I grew up in Mesa in the 1980's. I moved away at the age of 11 in 1989, so my childhood memory of the place is admittedly a bit spotty. Not even having been of driving age when I left, I'm sure my understanding of the area was also patchy. I did attend MacArthur Elementary school, and lived just west of there, immediately south of the Park of the Canals (which, by the way, I remember being such a fun place to roam and play as a young kid). We'd also walk for what seemed like miles in the canals when they emptied them. I also remember playing on the train and the jet in Pioneer Park, shopping trips to Yellow Front, Smitty's, and Mervyn's, and the miles of orange groves you had to drive through before you reached Falcon Field.

I've lived far and wide, all over the country, and have not been back since I left. I'm wondering if I'll recognize the place.

Having moved away after childhood, I still have the Mesa of the late 1980's forever ingrained in my mind. Anyone who continued to live there witnessed the change gradually, and perhaps imperceptibly, in creeping phases?

Anyway, if nothing else its interesting to hear others help fill in the chronicles of a place I grew up in. I've enjoyed reading about Mesa on this forum, even if many of the developments I read about occurred after I left.

[exit2lef]

I live in Phoenix, but I spend enough time in Mesa to have observed at least some of the changes over the past few decades. A few observations:

Many, but not all, of the orange groves in the Lehi area are gone. A few are still visible from the 202 Red Mountain Freeway between the Gilbert Road and Val Vista exits. There has been a lot of new development there, and the freeway changed a great deal of the landscape.

The 202 Freeway, which essentially circles Mesa, is one of many changes to transportation in Mesa. Back in 1989, the 60 (aka Superstition Freeway) went only as far as Power Road. Now, it extends all the way through Apache Junction before ending its freeway status and becoming a divided highway headed towards Globe. Mesa has also developed more non-automotive transportation options. Light rail now runs from Gilbert Road to the Tempe border before continuing past ASU and into Phoenix. Bus service has been expanded, particularly in the western half of the city where passengers can transfer to light rail. The airfield at the old Williams Air Force base is now Gateway Airport, which serves as a sort of East Valley alternative to Sky Harbor.

Other portions of Williams have been transformed into ASU Polytechnic, and ASU is also developing a smaller campus in downtown Mesa. Benedictine University, a Catholic institution based in Illinois, continues to grow its satellite campus in downtown Mesa as well. Within a few blocks, what was once known as the Mesa Southwest Museum is now the Arizona Museum of Natural History with expanded dinosaur exhibits. The former Arizona Museum for Youth is now known as the i.d.e.a. museum and has undergone some renovations of its own. The newest cultural facility is the Mesa Arts Center, which is home to several resident theater companies and also hosts festivals and touring acts. At the east end of downtown, Pioneer Park has recently been renovated, and the vintage train has been preserved. Across the street, the Mormon temple is being renovated with a new visitor center under construction.

On the west side, Dobson Road has emerged as the Phoenix Metro Area's biggest Asian business district. Starting at Mekong Plaza, built in a former Target Store at Dobson & Main, and extending all the way down into Chandler, there are countless restaurants and stores featuring food and merchandise associated with China, Vietnam, and elsewhere in east. Asia. Mesa has become more diverse in other ways as well. There many residents in west Mesa with origins in Latin America -- not just Mexico, but also countries like El Salvador, Guatemala, and Colombia.

In the northwest corner of the city, Sloan Field was built as a new facility for the Cubs during spring training and the adjacent Riverview Park has incredible climbing structures. A new Rio Salado bike/ped path begins near the Park and provides a car-free connection to the Tempe and Phoenix segments of the path, as well as the Indian Bend Wash greenbelt in Scottsdale. I don't think today's helicopter parents are likely to turn their children loose in the canals during dry-ups, but Mesa has upgraded the paths long some of the canal banks within its borders.

In terms of retail, Smitty's is now Fry's, part of the Kroger empire. Yellow Front and Mervyn's no longer exist. Tri-City Mall was demolished. The site is now home to a shopping center anchored by Safeway and a light rail park-and-ride next door. Fiesta Mall is still standing, but closed. Superstition Springs Mall opened just a few years after you left. It's still open, but almost all malls are struggling these days. Dana Park at Val Vista & Baseline is a newer open-air shopping center. South of Mesa, Chandler Fashion Center and SanTan Village in Gilbert have captured much of the East Valley's retail dollars.

[sh9730]

My wife's family owned the El Charro restaurant on Country Club - unfortunately due to the death of the grandfather who ran everything it has been closed now for almost 7 years. The building is still there --- not sure what they plan to do with it yet as it is smack in the middle of the next redevelopment area.

[mzbk2l]

Let's see... Mervyn's is gone (although the building remains) and there is now light rail down the middle of Main street in that area. The orange groves are almost all gone, although a few remain along the roads to provide some privacy for some of the larger homes developed on the land. Overall, I would say it's not tremendously different; the area has perhaps experienced a gradual decline and a spotty rebirth in the 30 years you've been gone, but there are plenty of the same places around, too.

[Daniel_78]

Thank you for the general updates!

Yes, we did alot of free-roaming as kids back then. As long as we had a quarter in our pocket to use if needed at a payphone (are those still around?), we'd walk or bike around all day, miles from home.

In a city where its much easier to build outward, there's less pressure to renovate aging neighborhoods, or to build upward, so I could see where some of the older developments would just gradually deteriorate as the money moved outward.

Not surprised many of the chains have ceased to function. I remember a really fun Model and Hobby Shop that I thought was somewhere near downtown Mesa...

I'm glad to see the Pioneer Park train got restored or re-opened. I did a bit of research and found out that the F9F Panther navy jet that sat just north of the train was acquired at some point and fully restored by the Palm Springs Aviation Museum.

I actually don't recall there being awful much to the downtown, especially for a city of that population. Even now that seems to be a major critique of the city, from what I can divine on the forums. While its common for much smaller Mid-Western towns to have recognizably distinct, charming, and compact downtowns - many of those cities are still shrinking as Mesa grows. Also, a decade can go by in some of those Midwestern towns and the only real change you'll see consists of a few new fast-food restaurants. I'm glad to see Mesa developing transit, at least.

As far as the broader metro area I do recall that there used to be a go-kart track near the Phoenix Zoo. We also bicycled up and down the linear park through Scottsdale on occassion. We'd drive through Gilbert on the way to church, and it seemed like it had alot of horse pastures or farm fields then.

Does anyone happen to know when MacArthur Elementary school was built?

Thanks.

[yukon]

I've lived far and wide, all over the country, and have not been back since I left. I'm wondering if I'll recognize the place.

Doubtful. I started visiting here regularly in 2005, and the changes in the past 14 years have been massive. It took me about 2 months to realize a nearby store in Mesa I was shopping at was the store I used to shop when I visited that I thought was was 'way out in BFE'. It's not now, it's "in town". Same for major parts of Phoenix.

[DougStark]

exit2lef, Good job, man!!

[Daniel_78]

So I managed to get back to the "old" neighborhood and drive and walk around. Of course everything from childhood is smaller than I remember, but alas.

The Park of the Canals, case in point. Not as expansive as I recalled, but I'm so glad it's still there. For all the naysayers, I probably encountered more detritus from seedy transients in that park decades ago than is visible now. It may seem derelict and empty, but certainly not unsafe or trashy.

I'd say the Mesa neighborhoods in that vicinity seem a bit run-down or stagnated, but certainly not what I'd call a ghetto. Yes the area has it's share of payday loan shops, but for the most part it's just looking tired and forgotten as opposed to being in serious decline. Perhaps traces of that would have been evident decades ago and I just wasn't old enough to judge.

I was glad to see Pioneer Park again, and see the restored train, but a shame that this era is so "look but don't touch or play on" these kinds of things.

I can't say that it was exactly the Mesa I remembered, but again I'd forgotten so much of the context/fabric of the city.

The explosive growth east and south, now that is truly astonishing!

[mzbk2l]

Thanks for the followup, Daniel_78!

[gliu953]

Maybe I'm wrong but the west side of Mesa seems denser and more established but the east side seems like it still has lots of land to build on.