Provo Local Businesses

About Provo

Welcome to Provo, Utah

Provo is Utah County's seat and, by the city's own count, the fourth-largest city in Utah, sitting between the Wasatch Range and Utah Lake about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City. The area was first settled in 1849, when pioneers built Fort Utah along the Provo River; the fort was later renamed for Étienne Provost, an early fur trapper who ran a trading post near Utah Lake. Long before that, the Ute people and, earlier still, the Fremont people lived in the valley Spanish explorer Silvestre Vélez de Escalante called Timpanogos in 1776. Provo is organized into five official Neighborhood Districts covering 34 named neighborhoods, from Downtown Provo's Center Street shops and restaurants to Edgemont and Riverside near the mouth of Provo Canyon, Rock Canyon's dramatic cliffs, and Maeser in the city's core. Brigham Young University anchors the local economy and gives Provo one of the youngest median ages in the state, alongside a growing tech sector that includes homegrown companies like Qualtrics. Outdoor recreation is close at hand — the Rock Canyon and Y Mountain trails and the Provo River Parkway Trail all start within city limits, and Provo Canyon's Bridal Veil Falls is a short drive up Highway 189. Each year, the city hosts the Freedom Festival around Independence Day, the Rooftop Concert Series and Farmers Market through the summer, and Center Street's Christmas Market & Lights each December. Provo City School District serves the city through two comprehensive high schools, Provo High and Timpview High.