The city's motto, based on the fact that outsiders tend to mispronounce the name as /ˈmɛksiə/ (MEK-see-ə), is "A great place to live, no matter how you pronounce it.

Nearby attractions include Fort Parker Historical recreation, the Confederate Reunion grounds, and Mexia State Supported Living Center (formerly Mexia State School), which began as a prisoner of war camp for members of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps during World War II.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.2 square miles (13 km2), all land.

The hills provided grazing land for the buffalo herds, which plains Indians depended upon for sustenance.

Many hunting artifacts from Native American people have been found in the creek beds and draws around Mexia.

The Mexia post office began operation in 1872, and the community was incorporated with a mayoral form of government in 1873 by an act of the legislature.

Between 1904 and 1906 the Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway built track between Hillsboro and Houston, making Mexia a commercial crossroads for area farmers.

The rapid growth was excessive for local authorities, and for a short time in 1922 Mexia was under martial law.

The prosperity generated by the boom continued until the 1930s, when the Great Depression forced many people to leave in search of work.

[14] Carl Baker, 19; Anthony Freeman, 18; and Steven Booker, 19; drowned after a boat used to transport them across the lake, which was also occupied by three officers, capsized less than 100 feet from shore.

[14] Mexia also made news when its former resident Anna Nicole Smith died,[15] and when Allen Stanford was arrested on allegations of fraud in 2009.

Various imagined residents such as the Town Mayor and head of the Chamber of Commerce also feature alongside of the Operas namesake.

[16] Schools include: Pre-integration: Post-Secondary Education: The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.