A Brief History of Mesa, Arizona

World War II to Present

In 1941 two bases were constructed to provide training for World War II pilots. Falcon Field, now Falcon Field Airport, was built for the British Royal Air Force. Williams Field, later Williams Air Force Base, and now Williams Gateway Airport, was built for U.S. pilots. After the war, many military families, including that of John J. Rhodes, later Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, decided to settle in Mesa.

In the late 1940's air conditioning came into more common use and tourism began as a major force. The decade of the 1950's brought more commerce and industry to Mesa, including early aerospace companies. However, until 1960 more than 50 percent of the residents earned their living directly or indirectly from farming, mainly citrus and cotton.

The 1960's through 1990's saw more high-technology companies, now over 100 firms. Health facilities grew especially during the 1980's and 1990's to service the larger population. The latest Economic Census figures from 1997 show Mesa employment percentages as retail - 31.2%, office - 25.7%, public - 16.1%, industrial - 14%, other - 11.6%.