Right now, that heart is pumping out concern for those who lost their homes in the recent fire. Not only did half the community show up to help fight the fire, but the entire community has responded with cash donations, offers of housing and food for the displaced families.

"The response has been pretty extraordinary, especially since many of the people only knew one of the families," says Matt Gudes, pastor of Mesa View Bible Church. The church had collected more than $16,000 for the fire victims as of early last week, but Gudes was still searching for a rental property for the one of the families.

In addition to coordinating donations for the recent tragedy, Mesa View Bible Church has been promoting community spirit on Monday nights with Adam's Rib, a fundraising dinner held at Mesa Grande Restaurant, which is officially closed on Mondays, but allows the church to use the facilities. The food is catered by Rib City Grill, served by the young people of the community, and eaten by half the people on the mountain. The money raised on Monday nights normally helps pay for mission and recreational trips for all the kids in the community, but was donated to the fire victims last week.

Such community-mindedness is common in Mesa, where neighbors may live several miles from each other but support each other in times of need. Demi Garner, who teaches yoga at the community center and who has lived off and on in Mesa for the past 25 years, isn't surprised by the generous response of the community toward the fire victims.

"Mesa is a great place to live," Garner says. "It's such a great community, people really rally around each other. I just got through breast cancer, and the support I got from this community overwhelmed me. I had five weeks of meals, some from people I didn't even know."

The community center at Mesa provides a place for neighbors to gather. There are several yoga classes taught at the center, as well as a book club that meets once a month. The center is also known as the Mesa leaf of the Mesa County Library System, since it's not big enough to be an official branch, but it does have books and other library items available on Wednesday mornings for library patrons. A July 4th celebration is in the works at the community center, as well as a big potluck on August 12th to commemorate the 125th Anniversary of Mesa.

Historically, Mesa hasn't had a lot of new housing, but that may change within the next few years as a partnership of three Mesa businessmen work to build a 40-home development on approximately 38 acres in Mesa. Right now, they're working with the county on the final planning for the first 10 lots, which will be small, city-sized lots, with water and sewer provided by the Mesa Water and Sanitation District. Final decisions about pricing, and the question of whether lots and homes will be sold together as a package deal or separately will be made once the development has received final approval. The partners have planned ponds, open space and a development that will blend well with the small mountain town.

"We're all members of the community in Mesa," says Joe Keyes, one of the partners in the project, "and we wanted to create a community we wanted to live in."

The community has begun to grow in other ways. Plateau Valley Medical Clinic is getting ready to open a medical office in Mesa, offering x-rays, urgent care and routine office visits. If construction progresses at the scheduled rate, the office should be open in the fall. At this point, plans include office hours with a doctor in the building three afternoons per week.

A coffee shop is also opening near the clinic. Many of the residents of Mesa are as excited by the prospect of a coffee shop as they are a nearby doctor.

A new year-round RV park will be opening soon near Mesa, with full-service hookups, tent sites and a few cabins to make winter camping more enjoyable. Sundance RV Camp will also have a 2,000 square foot service building with a Laundromat, showers, Internet service and a small store. At $35 per night, the heated cabins could be an option for skiers on a shoestring budget to stay overnight near Powderhorn.

Budget-minded skiers may also want to consider the mountain lots still available at Powderhorn. There are 19 lots still available, starting at $84,200 and going up to $103,750 for the best view lots. Although the price may be steep for a college student with only a part-time job, it's an unbeatable bargain for homeowners looking for a mountain lot adjacent to a ski area.

"We have out-of-town owners at some of the lots who say this is the best secret," says Carol Tompkins with Valley Brokers, the listing agent for many of the lots at Powderhorn.

While many of the lots have sold to people who have built second homes at Powderhorn, there are a few year-round residents. The covenants maintain the integrity of the neighborhood, with an architectural review board to approve a mountain look for each home before its built, but they also allow for smaller sized dwellings, in keeping with those who want a modest second home.

"We've sold these lots to a number of people in Grand Junction," says Tompkins. "Why spend all the time and money to go elsewhere?"

Mesa residents enjoy their remote mountain location, reveling in their separate, quirky identity. "I'm going down below," is how one resident claims they refer to a jaunt down to Junction. It's not for everyone, but for those who value solitude over convenience and who aren't afraid of a little more winter, Mesa is one sweet mountain home.