Mesquite

History

Centuries before American settlers moved into the area, Mesquite was an open prairie land and a key trading ground for indigenous peoples. The Ionies were a western tribe located close to present-day Fort Worth. The Tawakonies were in present-day Dallas. Finally, the Caddo were the native farmers of the Mesquite land. From 1680 to 1790, after harvest was over, these three tribes held an annual tournament and trading fair. In 1871 David Walker Florence and Julia Beaty Florence began the Florence Ranch Homestead, located at present day 1424 Barnes Bridge Rd in Mesquite. A successful stock ranch and farm, the initial purchase of 207.5 acres increased to 730 acres by 1892. The original home is now a historic house museum located on 4 acres of park land. The city of Mesquite was founded on March 14, 1873, on land along the Texas & Pacific Railway, which ran from Dallas to Shreveport, Louisiana. The locals then named the town after Mesquite Creek. The city was officially incorporated on December 3, 1887, after electing Mayor J.E. Russell. In the city's earliest years, it was known for many outlaws residing in the area. A prominent outlaw was Sam Bass, historically known for his train robberies in Texas. In 1878, he robbed a train in downtown Mesquite, escaping with only $152. Bass missed the $30,000 hidden by the express agent in the unused pot belly stove. In 1959, Big Town Mall opened as the first air-conditioned shopping mall in the United States. Portions of the Talking Heads movie 'True Stories' were filmed at this mall. The mall was demolished in the summer of 2006, and FedEx opened a logistics center on the property in 2017.

Geography

Mesquite is located in eastern Dallas County with a portion extending east into Kaufman County. The city is bordered to the west by Dallas, to the north by Garland, to the northeast by Sunnyvale, to the south by Seagoville and Dallas, and to the southwest by Balch Springs. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water. Mesquite is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metroplex, in which one quarter of all Texans live. * Lawson * Country Meadows * Samuell Farms * Meadow Creek * Parkview * Broadmoor Estates * Old Broadmoor Estates * Crooked Lane * Fuentes * Eastern Heights * Edgemont Park * Creek Crossing * Rutherford * Falcon's Lair * Falcon's Ridge * Pecan Creek * Rollingwood Hills * Skyline * Big Town Estates * Presidential Estates * Pasadena Gardens * Original Town * Melton * Tealwood * Northridge * Quail Hollow * Wildwood * Valley Creek * Idle wood * Meadowview * Palos Verdes * Hagan Hill * Mesquite Park * Casa View Heights * [https://solterratexas.com/ Solterra Texas] As a part of the DFW area, Mesquite has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) characteristic of the Southern Plains of the United States. It is also continental, characterized by a relatively wide annual temperature range. Located at the lower end of Tornado Alley, Mesquite and the rest of Dallas–Fort Worth are prone to extreme weather. On average, the warmest month is July. The highest recorded temperature in Mesquite was in 1980. The average coolest month is January. The lowest recorded temperature was in 1989. May is the average wettest month.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,252
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  11,804
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,625
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  10,947
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,988
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  9,835
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,657
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  8,631

Largest nearby schools

• SKYLINE H S
  High · DALLAS · 4,166 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• HORN H S
  High · MESQUITE · 3,029 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• MESQUITE H S
  High · MESQUITE · 2,388 students · 14:1 ratio
• BRYAN ADAMS H S LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
  High · DALLAS · 2,271 students · 16.7:1 ratio
• LAKEVIEW CENTENNIAL H S
  High · GARLAND · 2,258 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• WEST MESQUITE H S
  High · MESQUITE · 2,172 students · 14.7:1 ratio
• S GARLAND H S
  High · GARLAND · 2,169 students · 16.4:1 ratio
• NORTH MESQUITE H S
  High · MESQUITE · 2,087 students · 13.7:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.1 — 2024-05-01
  7 km SSW of Mansfield, Texas
• M 3.2 — 2024-05-01
  7 km S of Mansfield, Texas
• M 3.2 — 2019-10-01
  8 km SSW of Mansfield, Texas
• M 2.5 — 2019-07-08
  4 km SSE of Rendon, Texas
• M 3.4 — 2018-05-19
  8 km NW of Venus, Texas
• M 2.6 — 2017-09-14
  Northern Texas