Mesa, Washington

Mesa, Washington
—  City  —
Location of Mesa, Washington
Coordinates: 46°34′37″N 119°0′9″W / 46.57694°N 119.0025°W / 46.57694; -119.0025Coordinates: 46°34′37″N 119°0′9″W / 46.57694°N 119.0025°W / 46.57694; -119.0025
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Franklin
Area
– Total	1.6 sq mi (4.1 km2)
– Land	1.6 sq mi (4.1 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	689 ft (210 m)
Population (2010)
– Total	489
– Density	268.7/sq mi (103.7/km2)
Time zone	Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
– Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code	99343
Area code(s)	509
FIPS code	53-45180[1]
GNIS feature ID	1512459[2]

Mesa is a city in Franklin County, Washington, United States. The population was 489 at the 2010 census.

History

Originally called Bluff Wells, then Judson, now Mesa was a stop on the Ainsworth (now Pasco) to Spokane branch of the Northern Pacific Railroad. It was the stop between Eltopia and Palouse Junction (now Connell). The station was established in 1883.

The Columbia Basin Irrigation Project brought water to the area in 1948. Prior to this development, people relied on either private wells or the railroad well at Mesa. Mesa was officially incorporated on June 23, 1955. Today, Mesa is a small town supported by dryland farming, irrigated farming, and livestock.

Geography

Mesa is located at 46°34′37″N 119°0′9″W / 46.57694°N 119.0025°W / 46.57694; -119.0025 (46.576963, -119.002516).^[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 425 people, 105 households, and 91 families residing in the city. The population density was 268.7 people per square mile (103.9/km²). There were 111 housing units at an average density of 70.2 per square mile (27.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 58.59% White, 0.94% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 28.24% from other races, and 11.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 59.29% of the population.

There were 105 households out of which 64.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.4% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.3% were non-families. 7.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.05 and the average family size was 4.15.

In the city the age distribution of the population shows 42.6% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 10.1% from 45 to 64, and 5.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 105.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,750, and the median income for a family was $39,583. Males had a median income of $28,250 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,882. About 9.0% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Current events

In 2008, the city was involved in litigation with former mayor and councilwoman Donna Zink over incorrectly handled public document requests under Washington State's Public Records Act. A Superior Court judge has ruled that the town of Mesa must pay its former mayor about $230,000 after losing the long-running dispute.^[4]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
4. ^ http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/289557.html