Provo is the county seat of Utah County and home to Brigham Young University. It started in 1849 as Fort Utah and took its name in 1850 from Etienne Provost, a French-Canadian trapper who came through the area in 1825. Most of what people come for sits close together: the restaurants on Center Street and University Avenue downtown, the trailheads above the east bench, and Provo Canyon a few minutes up the road.
Population
115,162 at the 2020 census
Founded
1849, as Fort Utah
Named for
Etienne Provost, a fur trapper
University
Brigham Young University
This week in Provo
Arts
Homeward to the Prairie I Come at the BYU Museum of Art
Through November 21
BYU Museum of Art, Provo · Free
The BYU Museum of Art exhibition Homeward to the Prairie I Come closes November 21, and admission to the museum is free. On Thursday, November 12 at 7 PM, poets read work written in response to the show at the museum's Poetry Jam.
November 6 through November 21, 7:30 PM, plus 2 PM on November 14 and 21
Mainstage Theatre, BYU Arts Building, Provo · $20 to $35
BYU students perform Meredith Willson's The Music Man as a concert staging with a live orchestra on stage, including Seventy-Six Trombones and Till There Was You. Evening shows run November 6 and 7, 11 through 14, and 18 through 21.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (BYU Young Company)
November 11 through November 14, 7 PM, plus 2 PM and 4 PM on November 14
Studio Theatre, BYU Arts Building, Provo · $10 to $15
Two actors tell the C.S. Lewis story of Narnia using a stack of suitcases in this new 60 minute version. It is written for families, and Saturday adds two afternoon shows.
November 12 through 14, 7 PM, plus 2 PM and 5 PM on November 14
Covey Center for the Arts, Provo · Ticketed
A full Nutcracker set to Tchaikovsky's score with choreography by Jennie Creer-King, one of the first Nutcracker runs of the season in Utah County. Shows are Thursday and Friday at 7 PM and Saturday at 2 PM and 5 PM.
Provo is best known as the home of Brigham Young University and as the county seat of Utah County. Locals also know it for the Y on the mountain above campus, the downtown restaurant scene on Center Street, and quick access to Provo Canyon and Bridal Veil Falls.
How many people live in Provo?
The 2020 census counted 115,162 people in Provo.
Where can I find events in Provo this weekend?
Our This Weekend page lists dated Utah County events by city and rebuilds every morning. The free Provo FOMO newsletter sends the best of them before the weekend.
