The Arizona campus of ATSU is located in the east valley of the greater Phoenix area. Mesa, Arizona is Arizona’s third largest city with a population of 440,000. Gilbert, Arizona closely borders the ATSU-Mesa campus with a population of over 240,000.
Mesa, Gilbert, and the surrounding communities offer several options for affordable student housing near the campus. Local K-12 schools for children are available in the public, charter, and private sectors. Mesa continues to rank as one of the country’s safest cities based on population size. Gilbert’s historic downtown area hosts numerous restaurants and activities.
Arizona, the Grand Canyon State, is home to several diverse ecosystems (yes, it really is a dry heat but the winter is spectacular). The desert climate is perfect for outdoor activities year-round. Students will enjoy hiking, biking, rock climbing, paddle boarding, boating, and more.
Arizona is home to over 6.9 million residents (July 31, 2016 census) with a diverse population including 22 unique American Indian tribal communities. Mesa’s demographics include: 76.9% white, 17.8% Hispanic, 13.3% African American, 13% American Indian/Alaska Native, and 5.7% Asian.
The Phoenix metropolitan area is home to several sporting events including Suns and Mercury basketball, NASCAR, PGA golf, Cardinals football, professional rodeos, Diamondbacks baseball, and Coyotes hockey. Spring training brings a LOT of visitors to the Valley of the Sun to watch the Cubs, White Sox, Royals, and many more!
Getting to Mesa
The Phoenix metropolitan area is serviced by two commercial airports: Sky Harbor International airport and Mesa Gateway airport. The ATSU-Mesa campus is conveniently located just off the US-60 in the east valley. The light rail system services downtown Mesa, into Tempe, Sky Harbor airport, and downtown Phoenix.
