Provo, Utah

File:Provopanoramic.jpg

Panoramic view of Provo

Provo is a city in Utah and the county seat of Utah County, located about 50 miles south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. It lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south. It is the home of Brigham Young University, operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church).

Provo was originally called Fort Utah when it was settled in 1849 by 33 Mormon families from Salt Lake City, but was re-named Provo in 1850 for Étienne Provost, an early French-Canadian trapper who arrived in the region in 1825. Provo has grown to a population of 113,459, making it the third-largest city in Utah. The Provo-Orem Metropolitan Area, consisting of Utah County has 412,361 residents.

Geography

Rock Canyon in Provo

Location of Provo, Utah

Provo is located at 40°14′40″N 111°39′39″W (40.244421, -111.660804)Template:GR. It lies in the Utah Valley at an elevation of 4,549 feet (1,387 meters).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 108.2 km² (41.8 mi²). 102.7 km² (39.6 mi²) of it is land and 5.6 km² (2.2 mi²) of it (5.14%) is water. [1]

The Wasatch Range contains many peaks within Utah County along the east side of the Wasatch Front. One of these peaks, known as Y Mountain, towers over the city. There is a large "Y" made of whitewashed concrete half-way up the steep mountain, built in the early part of the 20th century to commemorate Brigham Young University (original plans included construction of all three letters: BYU). Wild deer (and less frequently, cougars and moose) still roam the mountains (and occasionally the city streets). The scenery is generally considered enjoyable and allows for hiking, skiing, fishing and other outdoor activities.

Transportation

Interstate 15 runs along the west edge of Provo, connecting it with the rest of the Wasatch Front and much of Utah. U.S. 89 runs northwest to southeast through the city as State Street, while U.S. 189 connects U.S. 89 with I-15, BYU, and Orem to the north. Near the northeast edge of the city, U.S. 189 heads northeast into Provo Canyon, where it connects with Heber. Amtrak the national passenger rail system, provides service to Provo, operating its California Zephyr daily in both directions between Chicago, Illinois and Emeryville, California, across the bay from San Francisco. Provo also can be accessed by Greyhound Bus Lines and the extensive Utah Transit Authority (UTA) bus system. A commuter rail line is planned to be extended to the city by 2015.

Demographics

As of the 2000 censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 105,166 people, 29,192 households, and 19,938 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,024.3/km² (2,653.2/mi²). There were 30,374 housing units at an average density of 295.8/km² (766.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.52% White, 0.46% Black or African American, 0.80% American Indian, 1.83% Asian, 0.84% Pacific Islander, 5.10% from other races, and 2.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.47% of the population.

There were 29,192 households out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 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 individuals 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.

22.3% of residents are under the age of 18, 40.2% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 8.6% from 45 to 64, and 5.7% who 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 age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,313, and the median income for a family was $36,393. Males had a median income of $32,010 versus $20,928 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,207. About 12.5% of families and 26.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

The population of Provo is heavily Mormon (LDS). According to data taken in 2000, 88% of the overall population and 98% of religious adherents in the Provo-Orem area are LDS.

Companies in Provo

Local Companies of Interest

Provo is home to many strip malls and shopping centers, hundreds of restaurants. The Provo Towne Centre, a shopping mall, operates in Provo.

International Companies

• Software company Novell, Inc. was founded and originally headquartered in Orem but soon after developed and moved into a facility in Provo. Novell continues to operate and employ around 2000 people at the Provo facility.
• Nu Skin Enterprises, a marketing firm for high-quality skin care products, was founded in 1984. In 2005, some 82% of revenues for the $1B USD company were generated through markets in Asia.
• MultiLing Corporation is a translation firm.
• MyFamily.com, Inc. is a genealogy and family networking company.
• Tahitian Noni International is a health and skin care manufacturer whose products are based on the Tahitian fruit called noni.
• Think Subscription is software company that provides subscription management and fulfillment software.

Politics

Provo tends to be ultra-conservative; in fact it has been titled as the most conservative city in the country. Local discussion of national politics tends to fall within the spectrum of moderately conservative to arch-conservative thought, with a few leftists mostly represented by student groups or university professors. However, Utah's 3rd Congressional District, of which Provo is a part, elected Democrat Bill Orton to three consecutive terms during the 1990s. Although Provoans tend to have a keen interest in national politics, they also tend to follow local issues, such as the city's zoning laws.

City Administration

The current Mayor of Provo is Lewis K. Billings, a lifelong Provo resident who is serving his third term as Mayor. Billings was originally elected Provo City Mayor in November 1997, after completing three years as Chief Administrative Officer and Director of Community and Government Relations for the City of Provo. Never having earned a college degree, and prior to his service to Provo City, Mayor Billings was President and Managing Partner of IDC, an investment partnership specializing in "turnkey" lease facilities for small to medium sized businesses. Before joining IDC in December of 1983, Mr. Billings was Senior Executive Vice President and General Manager of CalDisk, a manufacturer and worldwide supplier of rotating memory storage products for computer applications.

The current Police Chief of Provo is J. Craig Geslison, a 27-year veteran of the Provo Police Department. He was hired in April of 1978. Chief Geslison served four years as a patrolman and then spent two years as the Provo Police Department's first full-time Crime Prevention and Community Relations officer. Chief Geslison was promoted to Sergeant in 1984 where he served in detectives, patrol and dispatch divisions. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1988, where he served as a watch commander, and was appointed a Captain in 1994. Geslison became Provo's first Assistant Chief of Police in 1997 and was directly responsible for Support Services, the Patrol Division and had oversight of the Police Department's budget.

The current Provo Fire Chief is Coy D. Porter, a 28-year veteran who has risen through the ranks of his department. A Provo native, Chief Porter was hired as a Provo City Firefighter in 1977. He has served as a Firefighter, EMT, Paramedic, Captain, Battalion Chief, and Deputy Chief. Chief Porter graduated as a National Fire Academy (NFA) Executive Fire Officer in 1998 and has completed 23 NFA Courses. Among many other duties and responsibilities, Chief Porter served as the Fire Commander of the Peaks Ice Arena during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

Brigham Young University

Provo is home to Brigham Young University (BYU), a private university operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. BYU (occasionally, but incorrectly, called "BYU-Provo") is the second largest private university in the country, with more than 34,000 students. It is the flagship of the LDS Church's system of higher education. The large population of students makes Provo a "college town". Provo's ambiance differs from other college towns, however, since the majority of its students are LDS - the church bans the consumption of alcohol at BYU resulting in BYU being consistently rated the most "stone-cold sober" university in the United States.

Most BYU students live near BYU's campus. BYU requires that single students live in approved, non-coed housing, with BYU-approved standards that include no smoking, alcohol, as well as other regulations. New rules will keep apartments from being "BYU-approved" if they are more than two miles from the center of campus. Many students live either in on-campus housing north of the University or just south of campus, in an area dedicated to student apartments and condos.

Special 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 Brigham Young University's NCAA football team. The Independence Day festivites are quite popular among local residents and have featured such notable figures as Bob Hope, David Hasselhoff, Reba McEntire, Mandy Moore, Huey Lewis and the News, Toby Keith, Sean Hannity, and Taylor Hicks.

Notable Residents

• Kurt Bestor, award-winning composer, performer and host of morning radio/talk show KUTR 820 AM
• Steven Covey, author of the The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
• LaVell Edwards, NCAA Football Hall of Fame Coach
• One of Larry King's wives owns a house in Provo
• The Osmond family has several members who live in Provo
• Janice Kapp Perry, songwriter
• Steve Young, Super Bowl XXIX MVP, and Inductee of Pro Football Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame.

Trivia

• Provo is home to the LDS Church's largest Missionary Training Center (MTC). Each week some 475 LDS missionaries enter for approximately 9 weeks of training before they depart for the mission field; becoming part of over 60,000 in more than 120 countries. Presently, about 1,100 instructors (many returned missionaries) teach 62 languages. The center in Provo began construction in July 1974 and completed in July 1976. The MTC was expanded in the early 1990s, becoming the largest of 15 such centers in the world.
• The LDS Church operates the Provo Utah Temple located at the base of Rock Canyon in Provo. Due to its proximity to the Church-owned Brigham Young University and the Missionary Training Center, just across the street, this temple is among the busiest the Church operates.
• Provo owns and operates iProvo a Fiber to the Home network.

Media Recognition

Media recognition for Provo continues to increase in recent years which seems to coincide with its rapid growth; a 65% increase from 1980 to 1990. Provo has long been recognized for its "family friendly" and health-oriented environment, now with recent accolades as diverse as the city itself.

• 1991 Provo was named America's Most Livable Metropolitan Area by Money Magazine. Since then, Provo has consistently placed in the top 35. Provo scores high in Money's criteria of economy, housing, education, health and crime.
• 2003 - Forbes, ranked Provo City #6 for Best Places for Business and Career
• Jan 2004, Sperling’s Best Places released their annual survey of America’s Most and Least Stressful cities. Provo, Utah received the top spot for Least Stressful mid-sized city in the nation.
• 2005 - The New York Times reports that Provo rated the most conservative city in America by the nonpartisan Bay Area Center for Voting Research [2]
• Jun 2005 - Forbes, ranked Provo City #15 on the list Best Places for Business and Careers
• Jul 2005 - Business Week Online - ranked Provo, Utah one of the best cities for entrepreneurs
• Oct - 2005 - Yahoo Hotjobs - named Provo, Utah among the "rising stars’ among cities and metropolitan areas that provide the foundation for good work and life balance.
• Oct 2005- Men’s Fitness(partnered with Princeton Review) -ranked BYU the Fittest College in America
• Dec 2005 - Public Accounting Report, ranked BYU Undergraduate and Graduate Accounting Programs #2
• May 2006 - Inc. Magazine - ranked Provo #9 on their ‘06 Boomtowns list of Hottest Midsize Cities for Entrepreneurs
• Jun 2006 - Kiplinger’s Personal Finance - ranked Provo City # 21 on their list 50 Smart Places to Live
• The National Commission for Entrepreneurship ranked Provo as the #1 entrepreneurial city among comparable areas for most of the 1990’s.
• Farmers Insurance recently named Provo the #1 most secure metropolitan area in America. Based on crime statistics, risk factors of natural disasters and job loss numbers, Provo was ranked among the metropolitan areas with 200,000 residents or more
• In Sprint's recently completed productivity study 313 metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) were evaluated for productivity. Provo awarded 6th Most Productive Cities in America

Points of Interest

• Brigham Young University
• Brigham Young University Arboretum
• The Peaks Ice Arena, hockey venue for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games

External links

• Provo City Home Page
• Provo City Library
• Brigham Young University
• iProvo fiber network - Provo's public private partnership to provide a fiber optic network to all residents and businesses
• ProvoCitizens.net - Provo city government watchdog group
• Template:Mapit-US-cityscale