The Provo area was originally called Timpanogas, a Numic (Ute people) word perhaps meaning "rock river".

[clarification needed][11] The area also served as the traditional meeting place for the Ute and Shoshone tribes and was used as a common location for worship of their creator deity.

[clarification needed][13] Silvestre Vélez de Escalante, a Spanish Franciscan missionary-explorer, is considered the first European explorer to have visited the area in 1776.

The Europeans did not build a permanent settlement but traded with the Timpanogos, whom they called Lagunas (lake people) or Come Pescado (fish eaters).

Because of the reported stolen goods of settlers by the Utes, Brigham Young gave small militia orders "to take such measures as would put a final end to their [Indian] depredations in future."

In 1850, Brigham Young sent an army from Salt Lake to drive out the Timpanogos in what is called the Provo War.

[citation needed] Fort Utah was renamed Provo in 1850 for Étienne Provost,[16] an early French-Canadian trapper who arrived in the region in 1825.

They were the first large factory in Provo and employed about 150 people, initially mainly skilled textile laborers who had emigrated from Britain.

Wild deer (and less frequently, cougars, and moose) still roam the mountains (and occasionally the city streets).

Overall, annual rainfall at the location of BYU is around 17.23 inches (440 mm); however, the western part of the metropolitan area near Orem is substantially drier, receiving only around 13.5 inches (340 mm) of precipitation and consequently has a cool semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSk).

[21] The fall season sees steady cooling and a transition to winter weather, with rare influences of rain systems from further south, as in the record wet month of September 1982, which saw 6.53 inches (165.9 mm) of total precipitation, including 4.15 inches (105.4 mm) over the last six days from a storm moving in from Arizona.

Weighing factors such as race, housing, income, and education, the study ranked Provo-Orem 376th of 381 of the United States' largest cities in terms of resemblance to the country.

Several small shops, music venues, and boutiques have popped up downtown, along Center Street and University Avenue.

Downtown has also begun to host "gallery strolls" every first Friday of the month that features local artists.

[34] The global recreation and entertainment company Ryze Trampoline Parks, with locations throughout Asia, Europe and the U.S., is headquartered in Provo.

[35] Novell, the dominant personal computer networking company from the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s, was headquartered in Provo and occupied several buildings at the height of its success.

The Food & Care Coalition is a local organization providing services to the homeless and low-income citizens of Provo and Utah Counties.

The Independence Day festivities are popular among 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, Fred Willard, and Taylor Hicks.

[37] In 2015, the event included performances by Journey and Olivia Holt, and was hosted by television personality Montel Williams.

Festival Latinoamericano is an annual family-oriented Labor Day weekend event in downtown Provo that offers the community a taste of the region's Hispanic culture through ethnic food, vendors, and performances.

With construction finished in 2013, the center provides a location for aquatic recreation next to the Provo Power plant.

After a fire in 2010 destroyed the Provo Tabernacle,[51] Thomas S. Monson, then LDS Church president, announced the site would become the city's second temple.

[55] Federally, Provo is part of Utah's 3rd congressional district, represented by Republican John Curtis, elected in 2017.

Provo College offers associate degrees and diplomas in fields such as nursing, medical assisting, criminal justice, graphic design, and office administration.

US-89 runs northwest to southeast through the city as State Street, while US-189 connects US-89 with I-15, BYU, and Orem to the north.

Provo also can be accessed by Salt Lake Express intercity buses and the extensive Utah Transit Authority (UTA) bus system.

UTA's commuter rail service, the FrontRunner, opened an extension to Provo from Salt Lake City on December 10, 2012.

[65] The Provo Intermodal Center, adjacent to the Amtrak station, connects the FrontRunner with local bus routes, as well as Greyhound service.

[67] Provo is home to (or the hometown of) many well-known people, including The Osmonds (including Donny, Marie, and the Osmond Brothers),[68] LDS Church apostle Dallin H. Oaks, and NFL and BYU quarterback Steve Young.

The global economist Dambisa Moyo moved to Provo following her marriage to Qualtrics co-founder Jared Smith.