Mesa is a city in Maricopa County, in the U.S. state of Arizona and is a suburb of Phoenix, within the Phoenix Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the third-largest city in Arizona, after Phoenix and Tucson.

Mesa is one of the United States' fastest-growing cities, and currently ranks as the 37th-largest. 2006 Census Bureau estimates put the city's population at 460,155.

The city has a larger population than better-known U.S. cities such as Cleveland, Miami, Minneapolis, Saint Louis, or Tampa.

Although it has a large population, Mesa is a "bedroom community." Neighborhoods across the city are diverse, some areas have experienced urban blight, middle class and custom homes.

Mesa was founded in January 1878 by Latter-day Saint (LDS or Mormon) pioneers and its population is still roughly one-tenth Mormon. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints operates one of its oldest temples in Mesa (the Mesa Arizona Temple).