
The demand for Dobson Ranch homes was so strong that many new houses were sold within weeks, and sometimes months, before they were completed. To accommodate the hundreds of children moving into the new neighborhoods, a senior high school and two elementary schools were built nearby. A total of eight artificial lakes were excavated and the lengthy filling process began in early 1975. Retail development soon followed, including Fiesta Mall, which held its grand opening in the Fall of 1979.
Construction continued at a brisk pace until the mid-1980s, when the Ranch was almost fully built out. The final area to be developed was the Brook Edge Estates neighborhood, which is located west of Dobson Road and south of Baseline Road. Originally owned by the Mesa School District and set aside as the site for a proposed additional elementary school, the land was ultimately sold and subdivided for use as private residences in 1988. The Ranch’s final homesite was completed in 1999 on a lot that had remained vacant for more than two decades.