Roughly 12 miles away from Dallas City is the city of Mesquite, a medium sized city in north central Texas. It's named after the Mesquite Creek which flows beside the city. It is situated near the junction of Interstate Highways I-635 and I-30 on U.S. Route 80. The city of Garland is situated to the north and Balch Springs lies towards the south. Mesquite City is known as the "Rodeo Capital of Texas" since it hosts the Mesquite Championship Rodeo yearly.
During the year 1873, the Texas and Pacific Railway was built. The city of Mesquite was incorporated soon after in the year 1887. The city began to expand little by little with cotton being its primary trade. In a twenty year span, from 1950 to 1970, the population rapidly increased from less than 20,000 individuals to 50,000 inhabitants. The cities expansion was due mostly in part to the growth of the nearby city of Dallas. In order to help preserve Mesquite's heritage and culture, the city of Mesquite established the Mesquite Historical Commission during the 1980's. The name has since been changed to the Historic Mesquite, Inc., and is presently working on multiple projects like a historical park.
On the 22nd of May, 1873, Mesquite was established along the Texas & Pacific line outside of Dallas. It was established by an engineer of the Texas & Pacific Railway. The population of Mesquite City began to grow more rapidly after the train, that ran from the city of Dallas to Shreveport, began to stop in the little town. On the 3rd of December, 1887, Mesquite City was incorporated officially.
Mesquite's economy has been mainly based on agriculture and farming. Cotton, hay, corn, and sugar were the main products being grown. The railway offered a great way to ship these raw goods. The economy of the city remained concentrated on agriculture until soon after the second World War. Mesquite City became successful, and its population increased from approximately 1,600 during 1950 to roughly 55,131 during the year 1970.
Situated in Mesquite City are several unique attractions. The Mesquite Championship Rodeo is amongst the most highly anticipated event of the year. It has run annually ever since the year 1958 and is televised all around the country. Mesquite Art Centre is another of Mesquite's premier attractions that is home to over 16 arts groups like for instance the Mesquite Community Theatre, the Mesquite Symphony Orchestra, a local art gallery and the Mesquite Community Band. The Rodeo City Music Hall, a family-friendly facility, provides all sorts of entertainment enjoyable for various ages. Between March and November the Devil's Bowl Speedway hosts an assortment of action-packed competitions which racing fans flock to go to. Amongst the historic locations within the city of Mesquite are the the Texas Queen and the Florence Ranch Homestead, which dates back to the late 1800's. The Texas Queen is actually a double deck paddle wheeler that serves as a popular site used for special events.
There are several other population attractions situated nearby within the cities of Dallas and Forth Worth, including Fair Park, the Dallas Arboretum Botanical Garden, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Zoo, Forth Worth Stockyards National Historic Districts, Dallas World Aquarium and Rainforest, Six Flags Over Texas, The Sixth Floor Museum, and the West End Marketplace.
Many of the nearby cities have well-known sports teams associated with them. Arlington is home to the Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers and Irving is home to the Dallas Cowboys, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Dallas Stars.