Your guide to Mesquite: Things to do, restaurants, parks and more

Just east of Dallas, you’ll find Mesquite, the official Rodeo Capital of Texas.

Home to the historic Mesquite Championship Rodeo, the city also features a historic downtown area and a variety of entertainment and dining options.

Here’s your guide to Mesquite:

Population: 151,379
Median age: 38.3
Median income: $66,083
Unemployment rate: 6.7%

• One race, white: 34.1%
• One race, Black or African American: 26.8%
• One race, American Indian or Alaska Native: 0%
• One race, Asian: 0%
• One race, Native Hawaiian: 0%
• One race, some other race: 12.4%
• Two or more races: 22.6%
• Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race): 46.8%
• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 21.7%

For ages 18-24 (roughly 9% of the population)

• Less than High School degree or equivalent: 15%
• High School graduates (or equivalent): 41.2%
• Some College or Associates: 36.3%
• Bachelor’s Degree or Higher: 7.5%

For ages 25+ (roughly 68.7%)

• High School graduates (or equivalent): 35.1%
• Bachelor’s Degree: 14%
• Graduate or Professional Degree: 7.2%

58,835 units; 55,474 occupied (94.3%)

• 35,806 Owner Occupied
• 19,668 Renter Occupied

Unit types

• 41,579 1-unit detached
• 1,663 1-unit attached
• 15,399 multi-unit
• 194 Mobile Homes

Median home value: $267,000
Median rent: $1,604

Compiled by staff researcher Rachel Friend. Data from U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-Year Estimates Subject Tables, Tables S0601, S1501, S1903, S2301, DP04.

Mesquite was founded in 1873 as a depot town for the Texas and Pacific Railway and a post office was established in 1874, according to the Texas State Historical Association. The town incorporated in 1887. Its early economy was largely based on cotton agriculture.

By the mid-1920s, the town had added a number of notable utilities including a telephone exchange (1900), an electric company (1914)  and a water and sewage system (1923), according to TSHA. It was also more closely connected to Dallas in the mid-1920s via interurban rail and Scyene Road, later named State Highway 352. 

Population growth was slow throughout much of the first half of the 20th century, but accelerated in the 1950s and beyond. The city went from less than 1,700 residents in 1950 to more than 27,500 by 1960. The growth was helped by a series of municipal annexations that saw the town grow from around one square mile to more than 20 square miles, per TSHA.

Related: Mesquite, Texas: From sleepy train depot to bustling midcentury suburb

Big Town Mall opened in Mesquite in 1959 and was later followed by Town East Mall in 1971, which was the largest shopping center in North Texas when it opened. A private airport opened in 1975 and was purchased by the city of Mesquite in 1983. Now called the Mesquite Metro Airport, the facility remains an important city asset and a key relief airport for DFW.

Mesquite grew to more than 100,000 people by 1990 and is now home to more than 150,000 residents. Other major improvements in more recent years include the inauguration of the Mesquite Arts Center in 1995 and Mesquite Freedom Park, which was dedicated in 2016 on the 15th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Gomez Western Wear Arena: This venue, formerly known as Mesquite Arena, is home to the Mesquite Championship Rodeo. The historic rodeo dates to 1958, according to the city, and takes place on Saturday nights in the summer. Mesquite was officially named the Rodeo Capital of Texas in 1993 by the State Legislature.

Town East Mall: When it opened in 1971, this shopping center was the largest in the D-FW area. Today, it remains a major retail hub in the eastern part of the metropolitan area.

• Alejandro’s
• Bear Cave Coffee
• Espadas Brazilian Steakhouse Restaurant
• Joe’s Pizza
• Mesquite BBQ
• Soulman’s Bar-B-Que
• Yia Yia’s House of Gyros

Here’s a look at some notable parks and trails in Mesquite:  

• City Lake Park
• DeBusk Park and Trail
• Mesquite Heritage Trail
• Paschall Park
• Town East Park and Trail
• Valley Creek Park and Trail
• Westlake Park

Find more here.

• The Marketplace at Towne Centre
• Town East Mall

• AMC Mesquite 30
• Mesquite Arts Center
• Mesquite Championship Rodeo

Mesquite was among the first communities in Dallas County to officially incorporate. It did so in 1887, making it only the third town to do so in the county, following Dallas and Lancaster.