Provo, city in northern Utah, on the Provo River, situated between the Wasatch Range on the east and Utah Lake on the west. The seat of Utah County, Provo is a regional educational, recreational, and industrial center. Manufactures include computer hardware and software, clothing, electronic equipment, and processed food; a large integrated steel plant is nearby in Orem. The city is the seat of Brigham Young University (1875) and two junior colleges. Provo is the gateway to nearby ski resorts, Timpanogos Cave National Monument, and other scenic attractions. The site was settled as Fort Utah by Mormon colonists in 1849. In 1850 it was named for Étienne Provost, an early French-Canadian trapper who arrived in the region in 1825. Provo was incorporated as a city in 1851. The city grew rapidly after it was reached by rail in the 1870s. According to the 1990 census, whites constitute 94.1 percent of Provo's population; people of Asian background, 2.7 percent; Native Americans, 1.1 percent; and blacks, 0.3 percent. Hispanics who may also be counted among other groups, represent 4.2 percent of the population. Population 74,108 (1980); 86,835 (1990); 110,419 (1998 estimate).
