It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is approximately 45 miles south of Salt Lake City.

At one time the area was known as Sharon, a Biblical name for a mostly level strip of land running between mountains and the sea, and the name of the Vermont birth town of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement.

[5] In an apparent attempt to attract more investment to the town and provide an easy way for the large population of farmers with orchards to ship produce, in 1914 it was named after Walter C. Orem, President of the Salt Lake and Utah Railroad in the early 1900s.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 18.4 square miles (48 km2), all land.

As of 2002, over 97% of all church-going citizens of Orem are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

[11][better source needed] Due to the high numbers of Latter-day Saints in the area, Church President Russell M. Nelson announced a temple in Orem on October 5, 2019.

[14] Stevens-Henager College is also in Orem, as is an education center of Utah State University.

The Roots of Knowledge stained glass display is in the Fulton Library on campus.

It is also home to University Place, Utah County's oldest mall, opened in March 1973.

[30] The Owlz won 5 championships and had more than 90 major league players as part of the team.

[31] The Owlz played their home games at UCCU Ballpark on the campus of Utah Valley University.

The Orem station serves Utah Transit Authority's FrontRunner train.

[40] The Skate Park opened in 2002 and has a quarter acre of cemented space for extreme sport use.

[41] City Center Park is home to the annual Orem Summerfest as well as concerts and other cultural events.