Provo ( ) is a city in and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of
Utah County, Utah
Utah County is the second-most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Utah. The county seat and largest city is Provo, Utah, Provo, which is the state's fourth-largest city, and the largest outside of Salt Lake County. As ...
, United States. It is south of
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
along the
Wasatch Front, and lies between the cities of
Orem to the north and
Springville to the south. With a population at the
2020 census of 115,162,
Provo is the
fourth-largest city in Utah and the principal city in the
Provo-Orem metropolitan area, which had a population of 526,810 at the 2010 census. It is Utah's second-largest
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
after
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
.
Provo is the home to
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...
(BYU), a private higher education institution operated by
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
(LDS Church). Provo also has the LDS Church's largest
Missionary Training Center (MTC). The city is a focus area for technology development in Utah, with several billion-dollar
startups
A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an Entrepreneurship, entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship includes all new businesses including self-employment and businesses tha ...
. The city's
Peaks Ice Arena was a venue for the Salt Lake City
Winter Olympics in 2002.
History

The Provo area was originally called Timpanogas, a
Numic (
Ute people
Ute () are an Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin, Indigenous people of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau in present-day Utah, western Colorado, and northern New Mexico.Pritkzer''A Native American Encyclopedia'' p. 242 Historically, their t ...
) word perhaps meaning "rock river".
The area was inhabited by the
Timpanogos.
It was the largest and most settled area in modern-day Utah.
The ample food from the Provo River made the Timpanogos a peaceful people.
The area also served as the traditional meeting place for the
Ute and
Shoshone tribes and was used as a common location for worship of their creator deity.
Silvestre Vélez de Escalante, a Spanish
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
missionary-explorer, is considered the first European explorer to have visited the area in 1776. He was guided by two Timpanogos Utes, whom he called Silvestre and JoaquÃn.
Escalante chronicled this first European exploration across the
Great Basin Desert
The Great Basin Desert is part of the Great Basin between the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Range in the western United States. The desert is a geographical region that largely overlaps the Great Basin shrub steppe defined by the World Wildlife ...
. The Europeans did not build a permanent settlement but traded with the Timpanogos, whom they called Lagunas (lake people) or Come Pescado (fish eaters).
In 1847, the
Mormon pioneers
The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter-day Saints, who Human migration, migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the ...
arrived in the
Salt Lake Valley
Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City, Utah, Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably Murray, Utah, Murray, Sandy, Uta ...
, which was just north of
Timpanogos Mountain. At first, the Natives were friendly with the Mormons. But, as relations deteriorated with the Shoshoni and Utes because of disputes over land and cattle, tensions rose. Because of the reported stolen goods of settlers by the Utes,
Brigham Young gave small militia orders "to take such measures as would put a final end to their
ndiandepredations in future." This ended in what is known as the
Battle Creek massacre, in modern-day
Pleasant Grove, Utah.
The Mormons continued pushing into Timpanog lands. In 1849, 33
Mormon families from Salt Lake City established
Fort Utah. In 1850, Brigham Young sent an army from Salt Lake to drive out the Timpanogos in what is called the
Provo War.
Escalating tensions with the Timpanog contributed to the
Walker War. Fort Utah was renamed Provo in 1850 for
Étienne Provost, an early
French-Canadian trapper who arrived in the region in 1825.
In 1850, the first schoolhouse was constructed in Provo, built within Utah Fort.
As more
Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
arrived, Provo quickly grew as a city. It soon was nicknamed ''The Garden City'' with a large number of fruit orchards and gardens there.
In 1872, a railroad reached Provo. It was also this year that the Provo Woolen Mills opened. They were the first large factory in Provo and employed about 150 people, initially mainly skilled textile laborers who had emigrated from Britain.
Geography

Provo lies on the eastern bank of
Utah Lake in
Utah Valley at an elevation of . According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has an area of , of which is land and , or 5.66%, is water.
The
Wasatch Range contains many peaks within
Utah County along the east side of the
Wasatch Front. One of them, known as
Y Mountain, towers over the city. There is a large
hillside letter ''Y'' made of whitewashed concrete halfway up the steep mountain, built in the early part of the 20th century to commemorate BYU (original plans included construction use of all three letters). Wild deer (and less frequently,
cougar
The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North America, North, Central America, Cent ...
s, and
moose
The moose (: 'moose'; used in North America) or elk (: 'elk' or 'elks'; used in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is the world's tallest, largest and heaviest extant species of deer and the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is also the tal ...
) still roam the mountains (and occasionally the city streets). The geography allows for hiking,
skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...
,
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...
and other outdoor activities.
Climate
Provo's climate can be classified as either a
hot-summer Mediterranean climate classification (
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''Csa'') or as a
cool semi-arid climate (Köppen: ''BSk''). Overall, annual rainfall at the location of BYU is around ; however, the western part of the metropolitan area near Orem is substantially drier, receiving only around of precipitation and consequently has a
cool semi-arid climate (Köppen: ''BSk'').
The wettest calendar year in Provo has been 1983 with and the driest 2020 with .
Winters are cold with substantial snowfall averaging and a record monthly total of in January 1918, during which the record snow cover of was recorded on the 17th. Seasonal snowfall has ranged from in 1983–84 to in 2014–15. Very cold weather may occur when cold air from over the
Continental Divide invades the region: although only four mornings fall to or below during an average winter and this temperature was not reached at all between 1999 and 2006, during the very cold January 1917 (average temperature ), seventeen mornings fell this cold.
By contrast, in several recent winters like 1994–95, 1995–96, 1999–2000, 2004–05, and 2005–06, averages have been above freezing every month.
Temperatures warm rapidly during the spring, with the first afternoon over on March 21, the last freeze expected on April 29, and the first temperature equal to or hotter than on May 30. Rainfall is not infrequent during the spring: over was recorded in the Mays of 1995 and 2011, and a total of fell during the four-month span of March to June 2005 – in contrast as little as fell in the same months of 2012.
Being too far north to gain any influence from
the monsoon except in rare cases like the of rainfall of August 1983, Provo's summers are hot and dry, though relatively short – no maxima above have been recorded outside the range of June 7 to August 27. Monthly maxima average over in July and August, and precipitation averages under one inch per month with a two-month total in 2016 as low as . The hottest month on record is July 2003 with a mean of , and a mean maximum of . The hottest temperature on record is on July 13, 2002.
The fall season sees steady cooling and a transition to winter weather, with rare influences of rain systems from further south, as in the record wet month of September 1982, which saw of total precipitation, including over the last six days from a storm moving in from Arizona. The last maximum of can be expected around September 10, and the first morning below freezing on October 14.
Demographics
2020 census
2010 census
At the
2010 census,
112,488 people, 31,524 households and 21,166 families resided in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . The racial makeup of the city was 84.8%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.7%
Black or African American, 0.8%
American Indian, 2.5%
Asian, 1.1%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 6.6% from
other races, and 3.4% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino residents of any race were 15.2% of the population.
There were 31,524 households, of which 34.8% had children under 18 living with them, 55.4% were
married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 12.8% of all households were made up of a single individual, and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.24, and the average family size was 3.41.
In the city, 22.3% of residents were under 18, 36.4% were from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 10.5% from 45 to 64, and 5.8% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.
2000 census
At the
2000 census,
105,166 people, 29,192 households and 19,938 families resided in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 30,374 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.52%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.46%
Black or African American, 0.80%
American Indian, 1.83%
Asian, 0.84%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 5.10% from
other races, and 2.44% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino residents of any race were 10.47% of the population.
There were 29,192 households, of which 33.8% had children under 18 living with them, 57.0% were
married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 11.8% of all households were made up of a single individual, and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.34, and the average family size was 3.40.
In the city, 22.3% of residents were under 18, 40.2% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 8.6% from 45 to 64, and 5.7% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.
The
median household income
The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...
was $34,313, and the median family income was $36,393. Males had a median income of $32,010 and females $20,928. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
was $13,207. About 12.5% of families and 26.8% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those aged 65 or over.
The residents of Provo are predominantly members of the LDS Church. According to data taken in 2000 by the
ARDA, 88% of the overall population, and 98% of religious adherents in the Provo-Orem area are Latter-day Saints.
According to a study in 2015, the Provo-Orem metro area is about as dissimilar to the rest of America as possible. Weighing factors such as race, housing, income, and education, the study ranked Provo-Orem 376th of 381 of the United States' largest cities in terms of resemblance to the country.
Religion
According to the breakdown for Utah County in 2010, most people (90.6%) were Christian, with Latter-day Saints constituting 88.7% of the population.
Catholics constituted 1.3% and
Protestants
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
constituted 0.6%. Other religions constituted 0.3% of the population. 9.1% of the population did not adhere to any religion.
Economy
Local companies
Provo has more than 100
restaurants (with over 60 in the downtown area)
and a couple of
shopping center
A shopping center in American English, shopping centre in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences), shopping complex, shopping arcade, ...
s.
The Shops At Riverwoods and
Provo Towne Centre, both
shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...
s, operate in Provo. Several small shops, music venues, and boutiques have popped up downtown, along Center Street and University Avenue. Downtown has also begun to host "gallery strolls" every first Friday of the month that features local artists. There are many dining establishments in and around downtown Provo.
Five Provo companies are listed on
Inc.com's Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States. The largest, DieCuts With a View, is ranked number 1403 and has revenues of $26.2 million.
Other companies on the list are VitalSmarts (ranked 4109, with $41.4 million in revenue),
and Connect Public Relations (ranked 3694, with $6.1 million in revenue).
The global recreation and entertainment company
Ryze Trampoline Parks, with locations throughout Asia, Europe and the U.S., is headquartered in Provo.
Novell
Novell, Inc. () was an American software and services company headquartered in Provo, Utah, that existed from 1980 until 2014. Its most significant product was the multi-platform network operating system known as NetWare. Novell technolog ...
, the dominant personal computer networking company from the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s, was headquartered in Provo and occupied several buildings at the height of its success. It was eventually acquired by
The Attachmate Group and then by
Micro Focus, which still maintains facilities there.
The Food & Care Coalition is a local organization providing services to the homeless and low-income citizens of Provo and Utah Counties. They also provide
volunteer opportunities.
International companies

*
Action Target, a shooting range manufacturer.
*
Morinda Bioactives (formerly Tahitian Noni International) is a
multi-level marketing health and skin care manufacturer whose products are based on the Tahitian fruit called
noni
''Morinda citrifolia'' is a fruit-bearing tree in the coffee family, Rubiaceae, native to Southeast Asia and Australasia, which was spread across the Pacific by Polynesian sailors. The species is now cultivated throughout the tropics and widel ...
.
*
North American Arms, a firearms manufacturer.
*
Nu Skin Enterprises, a multi-level marketing firm for skin care products, was founded in 1984.
*
Qualtrics, a private research software company.
*
Vivint (formerly APX Alarm Security Solutions) is a
residential security
A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas.
Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family reside ...
company with customers.
Top employers
According to Provo's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city were:
Arts and culture
Annual cultural events

Every July, Provo hosts
America's Freedom Festival at Provo which includes the
Stadium of Fire at BYU. It is held in
LaVell Edwards Stadium, home to BYU's
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
team. The Independence Day festivities are popular among residents and have featured such notable figures as
Bob Hope
Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...
,
David Hasselhoff,
Reba McEntire,
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne (born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, April 24, 1982), known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Rising to fame after winning the American Idol season 1, first season of ''Ameri ...
,
Mandy Moore,
Huey Lewis and the News,
Toby Keith,
Sean Hannity
Sean Patrick Hannity (born December 30, 1961) is an American conservative television presenter, broadcaster and writer. He hosts ''The Sean Hannity Show'', a radio syndication, nationally syndicated talk radio show, has hosted a Hannity, sel ...
,
Glenn Beck,
Fred Willard, and
Taylor Hicks. In 2015, the event included performances by
Journey and
Olivia Holt, and was hosted by television personality
Montel Williams.
Provo has two other large festivals each fall.
Festival Latinoamericano is an annual family-oriented Labor Day weekend event in downtown Provo that offers the community a taste of the region's
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
culture through ethnic food, vendors, and performances.
The city has hosted an annual LGBT Provo Pride Festival since 2013.
Points of interest
Covey Center for the Arts
The Covey Center for the Arts, a performing arts center, is at 425 West Center Street. It features plays, ballets, art showcases, and musical performances throughout the year. The size of the building is a total of . The main performance hall seats 670 people. Three dance studios are furnished with a piano, ballet bars, and mirrors. Another theater, the Brinton Black Box Theater, seats 60 for smaller, more intimate events. There are also two art galleries: the Secured Gallery and the Eccles Gallery in the lower lobby.
LDS Church MTC
Provo is the location of the church's largest MTC. Each week approximately 475
missionaries enter for 3–9 weeks of training before they depart for the mission field, becoming part of more than 58,000 in more than 120 countries. About 1,100 instructors (many of them returned missionaries) teach 62 languages. The MTC in Provo began construction in July 1974 and was completed in July 1976. The MTC was expanded in the early 1990s to become the largest of the 17 such centers than in the world. Additional construction was completed in 2017.
Provo City Library at Academy Square
The
Provo City Library is a public library that occupies the building of the former Brigham Young Academy, built-in 1892. The building was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1976. Its collection contains over 277,000 media. The library is on University Avenue and 550 North.
Provo Recreation Center
With construction finished in 2013, the center provides a location for aquatic and gym recreation next to the Provo Power plant.
Provo Utah Temple
The Provo Utah Temple is at the base of Rock Canyon in Provo. This temple has been among the busiest in the LDS Church due to its proximity to BYU and the MTC.
The temple closed in February 2024, has been razed, and is currently being reconstructed. The temple, estimated for completion in 2027, will reopen as the ''Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple''.
Provo City Center Temple
Located at the corner of University Avenue and Center Street, the Provo City Center Temple serves as another temple for the Provo area's Latter-day Saint population. After a fire in 2010 destroyed the Provo Tabernacle,
Thomas S. Monson, then LDS Church
president, announced the site would become the city's second temple. Renovations were finished and the temple was dedicated in March 2016.
Utah Valley Convention Center
The Utah Valley Convention Center opened in 2012.
It has of combined meeting, pre-function and garden space.
Other points of interest
*
Brigham Young University Arboretum
*
BYU Museum of Paleontology
*
LaVell Edwards Stadium - home of the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
BYU Cougars as well as
Stadium of Fire, an annual
4th of July fireworks
Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...
show and concert
*
The Marriott Center - home of the NCAA
college basketball
College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...
BYU Cougars. The Marriott Center is also used for large university gatherings, such as devotionals, guest lectures, and
graduation
A graduation is the awarding of a diploma by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it, which can also be called Commencement speech, commencement, Congregation (university), congregation, Convocat ...
ceremonies
*
Peaks Ice Arena, hockey venue for the
2002 Winter Olympic Games
* The
Provo River, a river known for fishing and the Provo River Parkway, a paved bicycle and walking trail adjacent to the river
*
Reed O. Smoot House, a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
, at 183 East 100 South
* Seven Peaks Water Park, the largest water park in Utah.
*
The Shops At Riverwoods, a center of residences, retail, and entertainment at the mouth of
Provo Canyon
*
Timpanogos Cave National Monument
*
Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, a national forest on the
Wasatch Front bordering the east edge of Provo and Utah Valley
*
Utah Lake, a fresh-water lake popular for fishing, boating, and other recreational activities
Government
Federally, Provo is part of
Utah's 3rd congressional district, represented by Republican
Mike Kennedy, elected in 2024.
City administration
Provo is administered by a seven-membe
city counciland a mayor. Five of the council seats are elected by individual city districts, and two of the seats are elected by the city as a whole. These elected officials serve four-year terms, with elections alternating every two years. Provo has a
Mayor–council government, which creates two separate but equal branches of government. The mayor is chief executive of the city and the council is the legislative and policy-making body of the city. The mayor is
Michelle Kaufusi, who has been in office since December 5, 2017.
Education
Higher education
BYU is a private university operated by the LDS Church. BYU is the largest private religious university in the United States, with more than 30,000 students. It is the flagship of the
Church Educational System
The Church Educational System (CES) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) consists of several institutions that provide religious and secular education for both Latter-day Saint and non–Latter-day Saint elementary, sec ...
. On the campus is the
Spencer W. Kimball Tower, the tallest building in Provo.
Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions is a private, for-profit university emphasizing graduate healthcare education. The Northwest Commission accredits the university of Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). RMUoHP offers programs in nursing practice, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and health science. RMUoHP will be building Utah County's first new medical school.
Provo College is a private, for-profit educational institution specializing in career education. The school is accredited by the
Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). Provo College offers associate degrees and diplomas in fields such as nursing, medical assisting, criminal justice, graphic design, and office administration.
Primary and secondary education
Almost all of Provo is within the
Provo School District.
The school board has seven members, each representing a different district of the city. There are thirteen elementary schools, two middle schools, and three high schools.
Provo High School was the first school in
Utah County to be an IB World school. The school has a record of 4A state basketball championships, more state champions than any other school in the state.
Timpview High School has a record of 4A state football championships.
A small section of the city lies within
Alpine School District.
[
]
Infrastructure
Transportation
Interstate 15 runs through western Provo, connecting it with the rest of the Wasatch Front and much of Utah. US-89 runs northwest to southeast through the city as State Street, while US-189 connects US-89 with I-15, BYU, and Orem to the north. At the north edge of the city, US-189 heads northeast into Provo Canyon, where it connects with Heber.
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Provo station, operating its ''California Zephyr
The ''California Zephyr'' is a Amtrak Long Distance, long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago, Illinois, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area (at Emeryville station, Emeryville), via Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha, Denver, Sa ...
'' daily in both directions between Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, and Emeryville, California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
(in the San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...
). Provo also can be accessed by Salt Lake Express intercity buses and the extensive Utah Transit Authority (UTA) bus system. UTA's commuter rail
Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...
service, the '' FrontRunner'', opened an extension to Provo from Salt Lake City on December 10, 2012. The Provo Intermodal Center, adjacent to the Amtrak station, connects the ''FrontRunner'' with local bus routes, as well as Greyhound service.
The Provo Municipal Airport is Utah's second busiest airport regarding the number of aircraft take-offs and landings. Allegiant Airlines has been based out of the airport since 2022.
Notable people
Provo is home to (or the hometown of) many well-known people, including The Osmonds (including Donny, Marie, and the Osmond Brothers), LDS Church apostle Dallin H. Oaks, and NFL and BYU quarterback Steve Young. Goodwin Knight, who served as the 35th Governor of California (1947–1953), was born in Provo. The global economist Dambisa Moyo moved to Provo following her marriage to Qualtrics co-founder Jared Smith.
Sister cities
Provo has three sister cities designated by Sister Cities International:
* Nanning, China
* Chengdu
Chengdu; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, previously Romanization of Chinese, romanized as Chengtu. is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a ...
, China
* Meissen, Germany
See also
* List of cities and towns in Utah
References
External links
*
Provo historical images
at the Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University
Aerial view of Provo, Utah, MSS SC 2962
at L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...
*
{{Authority control
Cities in Utah
Cities in Utah County, Utah
County seats in Utah
Populated places established in 1849
Wasatch Front
1849 establishments in the United States