Hello there, I'm another desert rat on AAroads (notice my username?) from Palm Desert in so CA down the I-10 or former US 99. Nice to meet you too. Mesa is the largest metro suburb in the US - about half a million (490,000) people. And I predict Phoenix will be so big (2-2.2 million), more like 3rd largest city by 2026 or 2030 (unless Houston does get there first, Chicago getting smaller), two major league soccer teams in the future: the Phoenix Rising or Mesa...Mexicanos? Mormons? Saints? or (Copper) Stars? (the AZ state flag). Mesa has one of the oldest LDS church temples.