Provo, Utah – Lifey

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Here’s a free collection of resources about Provo, Utah- blogs, videos, groups, first-hand experiences and advice from people who live in Provo, etc.

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Provo Blogs

Here’s a list of Provo blogs- blogs written by people who live in Provo, or about Provo.

****Email alexbalinski@gmail.com to submit your blog to this list.***

Provo Insider	provomayor.com	2017
Provo City Council	provocitycouncil.com	2017
Community Action Provo	communityactionprovo.org	2017
Utah.com	utah.com/provo	2017
The Daily Herald	heraldextra.com..provo	2017
Reach Provo	reachprovo.com	2017
Downtown Provo Gallery Stroll	gallerystroll.blogspot.com	2014

Provo Groups

Provo Groups On Facebook

Other Provo Groups And Forums

TripAdvisor Provo Travel Forum (39 topics)

Provo Survey

We’re surveying people about living in Provo, UT. Here will be a collection of their responses.

*The information gathered via surveys may or may not be correct. Hopefully it will be helpful to you!

*Response format = Answer (Your name, How long you’ve lived in Provo)

**Click here to share your experience living in Provo**

Provo, Utah: Favorites

What’s your favorite thing about living in Provo?

Food trucks. (Elka, 4 months)
College town feel. (Helaman, 5 months)
Google Fiber, good nightlife, mountains. (Amy, 1 year)
Provo downtown. (Cam, 3 years)
Everything is close and the sense of community. (Julianne, 3 years)
Things to do. (Jan, 3 years)
BYU campus. (Spencer, 3 years)
Mount Timpanogos. (Zak, 3 years)
The sense of community. (Chad, 4 years)
Mountains. (Emily, 4 years)
My university, BYU. (Lauren, 4 years)
The dry weather. (Benjamin, 4 years)
Actually, it was the public transportation. I could get practically anywhere I wanted on the bus. (Heather, 5 years)
Beautiful. (Jaime, 5 years)
Our neighborhood. (Tricia, 5 years)
Nothing. (Anonymous, 5 years)
Beautiful scenery. (Samuel, 6 years)
Places/Activities for small kids. (Mimi, 7 years)
The slow paced vibe of the city and the almost affordable (for now) rent. (Thomas L., 7 years)
Nature. (Jason, 8 years)
The small school district. (Julie, 8 years)
I loved Provo’s cleanliness, sense community, and the number of things to do for such a relatively small town – especially in the summertime and around the holidays. Restaurants, farmers markets, sporting events, festivals, outdoorsy activities… It’s a beautiful place with good food and generally nice people. I graduated from BYU and also really loved my time there in most ways. (Kate, 8 years)
I love how clean the city streets are (for the most part), and how safe the city is (again, for the most part- there are some places that you wouldn’t want to visit at night, like the Boulders apartments, but for the most part, it seems super safe). (Alex B., 9 years)
There’s so much to do. From community festivals, concerts, plays and carnivals to water parks, hiking, camping and more! (S., 9 years)
Good people (friendly, good values). (Geoff, 10 years)
The scenery. (Charlotte, 11 years)
Variety of things to do. (Kent, 12 years)
Easy access to hiking/great parks. (Leatha, 12 years)
The diversity of restaurants. (Peter, 15 years)
The wholesome family-friendly atmosphere and how many super nice, down-to-earth people there are. I also love being so close to BYU where there’s lots of fun events and performances. (Rebecca, 18 years)
So many fun, kind, generous people. (Sarah, 19 years)
Mountains, river trail, proximity to community resources. (Mindy, 20 years)
Nothing. Maybe that things are open late. (Katelyn, 23 years)
Friendliest neighbors. (Kathi, 24 years)
The communities. (Johanna S., 28 years)
The variety of things to do. (Karen, 30 years)
Close to family. (Michael, 30 years)
So many opportunities and things to do. Love being so close to BYU. (Sherri, 36 years)
People. (Chris, 38 years)
Proximity to universities, culture, mountains, library, shopping, etc. (Su, 39 years)
My neighbors. (Kay, 40 years)
Mountains. (Anonymous, 50 years)
The four seasons. (Kay, 62 years)

Provo, Utah: Least Favorites

What’s your least favorite thing about living in Provo?

The downtown parking. (Elka, 4 months)
Overwhelming Mormon culture. (Helaman, 5 months)
Nosey neighborhoods and neighbors. Everyone acts like your space and your life is their business. (Amy, 1 year)
Not enough activities. (Cam, 3 years)
The roundabouts that no one knows how to drive in and that there’s no grocery store on the west side. (Julianne, 3 years)
Everything eventually changes to student housing. (Jan, 3 years)
Old and run down, dumpy. (Spencer, 3 years)
That Utah Lake is dirty. (Zak, 3 years)
No cross town freeway. (Chad, 4 years)
Having to drive anywhere I needed to go, sparce public transportation. (Lauren, 4 years)
The cost of homes. (Benjamin, 4 years)
Construction, traffic, not diverse enough. (Emily, 4 years)
The lack of nominally free things to do outside of being on campus. (Heather, 5 years)
It’s a bubble. (Jaime, 5 years)
Railroad tracks. (Tricia, 5 years)
Crime, kids who have behavioral issues, run down areas for druggies, etc. (Anonymous, 5 years)
Can’t think of anything. (Samuel, 6 years)
Tailgating, and running red lights. (Mimi, 7 years)
The entitlement and privilege of the wealthy. Seeing new mansions built and homeless people starving on the streets. Shameful. I also HATE (and yes I mean that word) how rich, out-of-state citizens will buy up a block of houses and then charge Salt Lake City prices for rooms. Four beautiful HISTORIC houses on my block are owned by some wannabe millionaire in California who never takes care of the property and just sees us tenants as his paycheck. It’s also a pet peeve of mine that there barely any coffee places, but you have three or more “soda bars.” >___< (Thomas L., 7 years)
Rigidity and lack of tolerance. Little empathy. (Jason, 8 years)
Too many people too close together. (Julie, 8 years)
Predatory parking/towing companies and a lack of laws that protect the citizens. Few places open past 9 or 10 p.m./essentially no nightlife (it’s getting better, but still not awesome). (Kate, 8 years)
I’d have to say the smog or inversion that envelops the valley for a month or two every winter. I’m excited about the population growth coming to Provo, but I’m not excited about the increase of traffic, pollution and the increased cost of housing. (Alex B., 9 years)
Rush hour traffic? (S., 9 years)
Lots of older houses that are falling apart full of students with streets choking with parked cars. (Geoff, 10 years)
No Sunday brunch :(. (Charlotte, 11 years)
Lack of accessible features through the city. (Kent, 12 years)
Not enough diversity. (Leatha, 12 years)
The self righteousness of some. (Peter, 15 years)
The couple of weeks usually every winter where there’s a big inversion. (Rebecca, 18 years)
Some people are hateful and bigots still/ lack of retail. (Sarah, 19 years)
How long it takes to travel east-west. (Mindy, 20 years)
Everything. The people, the culture, the religion, BYU, just all of it. (Katelyn, 23 years)
Messy streets and sidewalks. (Kathi, 24 years)
The small amount of single family homes for rent due to the majority being student housing. (Johanna S., 28 years)
The assumption that everything is Mormon…and the assumption by the Mormons here that everyone wants to live by the same rules. (Karen, 30 years)
Lack of better venues to get a drink even if it’s just for dinner. (Michael, 30 years)
All the traffic. (Sherri, 36 years)
Inversion. (Chris, 38 years)
Parking, which also includes traffic. (Su, 39 years)
BRT ruining the city. (Kay, 40 years)
Traffic. (Anonymous, 50 years)
The move to turn us into a concrete jungle with rabbit hutch housing. (Kay, 62 years)

Provo, Utah: Things To Do

What are fun things to do in Provo? Best kept secrets, etc.

Swing dancing. (Helaman, 5 months)
Get breakfast at Rugged Grounds. Enjoy some toast over a game of chess. (Amy, 1 year)
Going to Fruta Crush. (Cam, 3 years)
Everything downtown. (Julianne, 3 years)
Museums on BYU campus. (Jan, 3 years)
Nickel City. (Spencer, 3 years)
Hiking past the Y to the top. (Zak, 3 years)
Oregano Italian Kitchen and Downtown Provo. (Chad, 4 years)
Decent food downtown, Stadium of Fire, Provo Canyon. (Lauren, 4 years)
Hike, trail run, work. (Benjamin, 4 years)
Taste. (Emily, 4 years)
Honestly, I spent most of my free time on campus in the library. (Heather, 5 years)
Music scene is great. (Jaime, 5 years)
River trail, 4th of July Parade. (Tricia, 5 years)
Museums, hiking. (Samuel, 6 years)
The Attic at the Library. (Mimi, 7 years)
Trailheads and parks. (Thomas L., 7 years)
Restaurants (Black Sheep, Saigon, Red Deli, Two Jacks, India Palace, so many Thai places). Sledding in the wintertime. Hitting up all the festivals and farmers markets. Hiking/camping in the vicinity (the Y, Squaw Peak), BYU sporting events and concerts, the Peaks Ice Arena (both for skating and watching hockey), taking walks to check out all the historic buildings. (Kate, 8 years)
For young families: going to the Pioneer Park splash pad, the Provo City library (there are free computers/ipads etc. for children to play educational games on, upstairs there’s also a new builder place for the children to do hands-on activities.) Playing on the playgrounds in parks around the city. Going to the Provo Rec Center (it has lots of exercise facilities, indoor and outdoor water parks, a free crawl area, etc.) (Alex B., 9 years)
All the unique restaurants, food truck round up, Rock Canyon hiking, BYU Arts – they have a lot of cool performances that go unnoticed, Covey Center – more cool concerts and plays, Pioneer Village. (S., 9 years)
Horseshoes at Paul Ream. (Geoff, 10 years)
Float the river, bike, hike, downtown, restaurants, farmer’s market. (Charlotte, 11 years)
Gardens around the temples. (Kent, 12 years)
So many great hikes. Lots of free family-friendly events. (Leatha, 12 years)
Tubing down the river. (Peter, 15 years)
Emmanuel’s Fresh Mexican Grill! The Rec center (the outdoor slides are the best). Farmer’s market, hiking to the falls up Provo canyon, lighting the Y on the mountain during BYU Homecoming. The Balloon Launch (4th of July). There’s also the splash pad, parks, and lots of family-geared stuff. BYU events/performances, swing dancing, country dancing. One of my favorite things is trying out new restaurants- there are so many fun obscure little restaurants, especially near center street. Tons of entrepreneurship events and other community events for all sorts of different interests. (Rebecca, 18 years)
Provo Bakery, hiking, BYU football. (Sarah, 19 years)
River trail, Utah Lake paddle boarding, parks, Provo Canyon, good places to eat. (Mindy, 20 years)
Just how much there is to do here! (Kathi, 24 years)
Meeting good people, there are many good neighborhoods. It is a lot of fun doing absolutely anything up Provo Canyon! And just walking around Provo is a blast with Provo River to cool your feet down in. (Johanna S., 28 years)
It’s not a secret that there are wonderfully interesting shops in downtown Provo, but you really need to walk from shop to shop to see them all, and appreciate them. Driving by makes you miss so many of the storefronts, since a lot of shops are small. Take time to wander through the shops. You won’t know you want something until you see it in one of these quirky shops. (Karen, 30 years)
Sundance. (Michael, 30 years)
Hike the Y, Rock Canyon park, Bridal Veil Falls, Bicentennial Park, BYU productions, Seven Peaks, Provo River Trail, Hike up Rock Canyon. Ripples Drive-In Restaurant. (Sherri, 36 years)
Museums, food trucks, 4th of July, Utah Lake sandy beach, tubing the river, fishing the lower river, Rec Center, Rock Canyon & Slate Canyon and their hiking trails, Squaw Peak lookout, the farmer’s market, hiking Y Mountain, the downtown restaurants, ie. Guru’s, University Ave restaurants (between 1st North & Center St.), the library, Provo River Trail, Sundance is summer. (Chris, 38 years)
Temple, family activities, library, University exhibits etc… (Su, 39 years)
Hiking the Bonneville Trail, enjoying the grounds of the new temple, restaurants, plays and music at BYU. (Kay, 40 years)
River trail. (Anonymous, 50 years)
Walks, hiking Timp, the lake beach when it isn’t so polluted. (Kay, 62 years)

Provo, Utah: Reputation

What is Provo known for?

Mormons. (Elka, 4 months)
Mormons. (Helaman, 5 months)
BYU. (Amy, 1 year)
Being kind of boring. (Cam, 3 years)
BYU. (Julianne, 3 years)
BYU. (Jan, 3 years)
Uptightness, slum lords and BYU. (Spencer, 3 years)
BYU. (Zak, 3 years)
Cheap Mormons. (Chad, 4 years)
Mormons. (Lauren, 4 years)
Expensive homes. (Benjamin, 4 years)
BYU. (Emily, 4 years)
Young families. (Heather, 5 years)
BYU. (Jaime, 5 years)
BYU. (Samuel, 6 years)
Mormons. (Mimi, 7 years)
Being bland? (Thomas L., 7 years)
Mormonism. (Jason, 8 years)
BYU. (Julie, 8 years)
Being the actual capital of Mormonism. 😉 BYU and a heavy LDS presence which, depending on the day can be a wholesome, nice thing or an oppressive judgmental, restrictive thing. Also, lots of young people and babies. And young people WITH babies. (Kate, 8 years)
Being where BYU is located, being highly LDS, and having a high density of returned missionaries. Provo now has Google Fiber, which is awesome for people like me who upload videos to the internet a lot. (Alex B., 9 years)
BYU, college students, Karl G. Maeser, Google Fiber. (S., 9 years)
Family friendly, students. (Geoff, 10 years)
BYU. (Charlotte, 11 years)
BYU. (Kent, 12 years)
BYU. (Leatha, 12 years)
BYU. (Peter, 15 years)
Diversity. Happy people. Being the heart of “Happy Valley.” Lots of Families. Lots of crazy talented people. High energy. Entrepreneurship. I was visiting in Ogden once and someone said “Oh you’re from the Bible Belt!” haha so apparently that’s what we’re known for by some up that way. (Rebecca, 18 years)
BYU, tech startups. (Sarah, 19 years)
BYU. (Mindy, 20 years)
Housing BYU, Mormons. (Katelyn, 23 years)
BYU Cougars. (Kathi, 24 years)
BYU. (Johanna S., 28 years)
Home of BYU, startups and soda mixes. (Karen, 30 years)
Lack of diversity. (Michael, 30 years)
BYU and Missionary Training Center. (Sherri, 36 years)
BYU, Mormons, NuSkin, Allegiant Airlines. (Chris, 38 years)
Currently, according to Provo Police, a spike in crime. (Su, 39 years)
History, BYU, great neighborhoods. (Kay, 40 years)
BYU. (Anonymous, 50 years)
Intolerance, BYU, poor wages for females, patriarchal attitudes. (Kay, 62 years)

Provo, Utah: Crime

What’s the crime like in Provo?

I’ve heard it has risen. (Elka, 4 months)
Minimal. (Helaman, 5 months)
Not bad, except for bike theft. (Amy, 1 year)
Pretty low. (Cam, 3 years)
Higher than it should be. (Julianne, 3 years)
Moderate, especially drugs. (Jan, 3 years)
Not bad, but people rob student housing a lot during church times. (Spencer, 3 years)
People steal. (Zak, 3 years)
Moderate. (Chad, 4 years)
Pretty bad south of Center Street, and mainly sexual and traffic crimes near BYU. (Lauren, 4 years)
Low, but my wife did get assaulted while out running. (Benjamin, 4 years)
Small things that end up in fines but no jail time. (Emily, 4 years)
I never saw much. (Heather, 5 years)
Like a normal college town. (Jaime, 5 years)
Low. (Tricia, 5 years)
Horrible. (Anonymous, 5 years)
Lower than a lot of places. (Samuel, 6 years)
Bike theft is WAY too high. (Mimi, 7 years)
It’s better than any big city, but people are naive here. They set themselves up for exploitation. I have a lot of friends who’ve been robbed just because they were too dumb to keep doors locked. (Thomas L., 7 years)
I believe much lower than Nationally. (Jason, 8 years)
Pretty low, but higher than people think. (Julie, 8 years)
Pretty safe, all things considered. Bicycle theft, car theft (see predatory towing), and some occasional graffiti was the worst I saw on a regular basis; however, I still was concerned and proactive about the risk of sexual assault and kidnapping. (Kate, 8 years)
Not bad, it’s typically worse in large apartment complexes where lots of lower income families live. Government housing or other low income housing tends to attract more drugs, crime, gangs, etc. It’s typically more of a problem in West and South Provo (not everywhere, it’s more in pockets based on the apartment complexes). I’d recommend not living with your family at the Boulders, I’ve seen some people there who look like they could be violent, and are likely addicted to drugs, etc. There have been a few abductions, where young college girls have went missing- it doesn’t seem to be a common problem in the city, but it is still a huge problem in my mind that we haven’t yet caught the bad guys. (Alex B., 9 years)
It’s not as crazy as most cities but bad things do happen. People die, shootings happen, they’re just not as publicized. (S., 9 years)
Non-violent. Low, but rising. (Geoff, 10 years)
Low. (Charlotte, 11 years)
High in certain neighborhoods. (Kent, 12 years)
Low. (Leatha, 12 years)
Petty. (Peter, 15 years)
I’ve always felt pretty safe. It gets a little more iffy in south, southwest Provo, but even there I feel pretty safe usually. (Rebecca, 18 years)
There is some crime but it is minimal and mostly in certain parts of the City. (Sarah, 19 years)
West side (where I live) has a fair amount of theft. (Mindy, 20 years)
Lots of rape and sexual assault that goes unreported because…the culture, etc. blame the victim. Literally all five of my sisters and I were raped while living in “the nice part” of Provo. Some while we were at BYU, some by neighbors, one as young as 6 years old. (Katelyn, 23 years)
Not too bad… but it’s certainly gotten worse over the 24 years we’ve been here! (Kathi, 24 years)
Most crimes are caused by substance abuse and the use or “need” (as an addiction does lead you to believe). The majority of areas that are in need of much better surveillance are the lowest priced motels and hotels, there is a large amount of drug problems in Provo, on 300 South and University Ave. I know why it has become such a problem in this city. Too many families raise their children in a very religious world, and neglect to teach our children the nature of the real world. (Meaning): Too much is literally being kept from our children’s success with learning how they themselves will one day be surrounded in, and doing so alone. The time will come, there is no stopping it, but when a teenager goes to that party, decisions will be made, whether that decision creates a large impact on the rest of their lives has a great deal to do with the way they were raised and taught about REALITY. “It is my personal opinion” That we all learn from what we see and do throughout our lives. “If you are still walking past someone smoking and you put your hands up just to cover your nose, there is a serious problem with that”, we should be taught that it is an addiction!! We can relate just by looking at what we do daily such as watching that one TV show, or drinking another Soda… An addiction comes in “every” size and color. The ability to notice it, is a good sign. (Johanna S., 28 years)
Low compared to most places, but higher than it should be since people get lazy about locking things up. (Karen, 30 years)
Not that bad. (Michael, 30 years)
Not too bad, but it does happen so it’s important to lock doors and keep valuables safe. (Sherri, 36 years)
It raised 34% this last calendar year; June ’16 – June ’17. (Chris, 38 years)
Higher than it should be. (Su, 39 years)
We have a great police force. (Kay, 40 years)
Meth problem. (Anonymous, 50 years)
Horrible because of Front Runner bringing the crime into the city. (Kay, 62 years)

Provo, Utah: Advice

Any advice for people moving to Provo?

Make sure you don’t move by the train. (Elka, 4 months)
Do it. (Amy, 1 year)
Make sure to search for events or something in Facebook. (Cam, 3 years)
Be prepared to have a hard time finding housing. (Julianne, 3 years)
Be prepared for many pedestrians and limited parking. (Jan, 3 years)
If you don’t have to live there, don’t. Orem or Spanish Fork are close, and are miles better when it comes to places to live. (Spencer, 3 years)
Go to church if you want to meet friends fast. (Zak, 3 years)
Love where you live, and live where you live. (Chad, 4 years)
Orem is nicer. (Lauren, 4 years)
Save for a down payment on a home. (Benjamin, 4 years)
Don’t assume everyone is Mormon or a fan of BYU. (Emily, 4 years)
Be prepared for the BYU campus to shape how your life runs. Events change traffic patterns and prices. (Heather, 5 years)
There are all kinds of people to make friends with. Don’t think it’s all just the same kinds of people. (Jaime, 5 years)
Find a great neighborhood. (Tricia, 5 years)
Don’t. (Anonymous, 5 years)
Non-Mormons have a hard time fitting in. (Mimi, 7 years)
Hurry and move in before prices skyrocket. (Thomas L., 7 years)
Set the example in treating all others like you would want to be treated…without judgement. (Jason, 8 years)
Make sure you have enough off street parking. (Julie, 8 years)
It all depends on why you’re headed there. As a transplant from elsewhere, the homogeneity and heavy Mormon culture can take some getting used to (even if you’re LDS, as I was). Don’t judge it too quickly- you can find your people. Be prepared to have the housing split between singles and marrieds/non-students. Housing prices are going up, so a decent 2-bedroom will probably run you in the $850-900 range. Not a lot of jobs unless you’re interested in working for BYU, in sales, or the service industry. (Kate, 8 years)
Enjoy the free public resources- there are quite a few hidden gems if you look hard enough for them. For example, you can gain free access to Lynda.com training libraries- all you need is to go through the Provo Library website and log into Lynda.com with your library card number and pin. (Alex B., 9 years)
Buy now, houses are going quick. Pretty soon there won’t be much left. Also buy a winter coat. (S., 9 years)
Get involved at the neighborhood level (neighborhood meetings/events). (Geoff, 10 years)
Only move here if you love it as much as I do! (Charlotte, 11 years)
Lock your doors. (Kent, 12 years)
Don’t be afraid to be different – Provo needs your diversity! (Leatha, 12 years)
Assume good intentions. (Peter, 15 years)
Get involved from the very first day, get to know your neighbors, talk to people, go out and serve- you’ll love it here! There are so many great down-to-earth people in Provo (both Mormon and Non-Mormon). Talk to the neighbors to get a feel for the neighborhood before you buy a house. (Rebecca, 18 years)
Move to West Provo. There is a great sense of community! (Sarah, 19 years)
Just don’t. Please don’t. It’s not worth it, even if you fit the mold that the toxic culture craves. (Katelyn, 23 years)
Check in all City Hall, and see all there is to do in Provo. (Kathi, 24 years)
Learn as much as possible about your soon to be surroundings, many times it is the non-stop noise of the students, that will wake the baby over and over again. (Johanna S., 28 years)
Keep an open mind and don’t assume you know Provo. It is a growing city with a small town heart in many ways. There is much more diversity here than people would lead you to believe. (Karen, 30 years)
Mow your lawn. (Michael, 30 years)
You’re going to love it. Take advantage of the many opportunities availabe. If you look for the good you’ll find it. (Sherri, 36 years)
Mormons aren’t as scary as you think. (Chris, 38 years)
Watch out for slumlords as they are affectionately known as, housing standards, parking. (Su, 39 years)
Find out the zoning laws. (Kay, 40 years)
It’s a grid system. (Anonymous, 50 years)
Don’t. (Kay, 62 years)

Provo, Utah: Stories

Share an experience you’ve had in Provo (interesting/funny/crazy/dangerous, etc.).

Made my own scarf from scratch including gathering the wool, combing it, spinning it, dying it, knitting it. Such a thoughtful community of creators. (Amy, 1 year)
I saw a girl very unironically riding a unicycle down University Avenue. (Julianne, 3 years)
I once saw a man conducting music as he walked down the sidewalk with headphones on. (Zak, 3 years)
We were hit in a drive by with cookies. (Chad, 4 years)
I loved all the fun little Pioneer homes and historic buildings. (Lauren, 4 years)
The weather is great, I love that it’s scenic wherever you go. Family-oriented activities, events and places. (Benjamin, 4 years)
I loved picnicking while listening to the brass band Sunday evenings during the summer over by the Pioneer Museum. (Mimi, 7 years)
I’ve had many poignant and lucid talks with the homeless. People look at me like I’m infected, when they walk by us talking. One man told me the story behind each of his tattoos, and pointed to scars where careless drivers had clipped him, and run off. I once bought a plant from Foxglove on Center street, and as I was walking home, a homeless kid (20s ish?) gave my plant a blessing and spoke to me of the imminence of a Savior’s return. It was humbling and sublime. (Thomas L., 7 years)
I have actually had conversations with the district superintendent and mayor. (Julie, 8 years)
I attended BYU and met my wonderful wife there. I’ve found it to be a special city, with special opportunities, because there are so many clean, wholesome returned missionaries and young couples. (Alex B., 9 years)
One time during the home coming parade, BYU Mascot, Cosmo, ran into my apartment and tried to get us to come outside. (S., 9 years)
Going up Provo peak far too late, and getting down at 1 am. (Geoff, 10 years)
Provo City practices blast at age discrimination in hiring, especially at the library. After 32 years of experience, I can’t get a job over someone with 2-3 years of experience. (Kent, 12 years)
Microbursts! I’ve seen several in my years living here, where there’s crazy wind and hail and huge trees are uprooted. Pretty exciting. Back in the 90s when I was a child there was a big one that uprooted a bunch of trees in Pioneer Park and they had to completely renovate the playground because the trees fell on it. There was also a house on my block that had a tree fall on it. The winters have been pretty mild recently compared to what I remember them being when I was younger. (Rebecca, 18 years)
Hiking in Rock Canyon at night, my friends and I came face to face with a Cougar. Fortunately, we were all safe. (Sarah, 19 years)
Because everyone is so homogeneous in the part of Provo I grew up in (wealthy white Mormons), anyone who was slightly different was bullied mercilessly to the point of transferring/moving away and in some cases, suicide. They literally drove out anyone who didn’t fit their ideal. BYU was not much better. When they found out about my rape, they kicked me out of my home, took away everything I’ve ever cared about, and literally abused me. It’s a disgusting and toxic place to grow up. (Katelyn, 23 years)
I’ve lived here literally 26 years of my 30 year life. It becomes a downright problem that everything is closed on Sundays!! And there are not enough new events and entertainment. Just have to accept it as it is, annoying or not.. During younger teenage years of my life there was not enough to get out and do, honestly that then created many nights spent at a friend’s house where I first started drinking and smoking cigarettes, and marijuana as well.. Led to many underage party’s where the majority of the male race was 18 and older. At least 5 years older than any of us girls. A great deal of fun can be had when you have good friends, and spend time outside at the parks, up the Canyon, traveling the many, many absolutely beautiful and stunning trails, for hiking, biking, and even taking your long board to bomb the hills!!! (Johanna S., 28 years)
I first moved to Provo 30 years ago from a small town, and was instantly overwhelmed by trying to get around here. I thought that Orem was a distance away, but now everything has filled in and Utah County almost feels like one giant city. The key to enjoying living in Provo has been to find a neighborhood that feels like home to us. Part of the reason we haven’t moved is that we adore our neighborhood, and just don’t want to live anywhere else. (Karen, 30 years)
Got a ticket for not coming to a complete stop at 2 AM in the morning on a backroad… (Michael, 30 years)
I’ve had the opportunity to perform in the Provo Freedom Festival Arts Festival and Parade, and that was pretty awesome. (Sherri, 36 years)
My neighbor shot his dog (2016), on a Sunday afternoon, in his backyard, because he thought it was legal like in Hawaii. He was schooled by two police officers. (Chris, 38 years)
Neighbors working together to do paint your heart out projects for other neighbors needing help. (Su, 39 years)
We raised all our children here. (Kay, 40 years)
Helpfulness from neighbors. (Anonymous, 50 years)
Great weather…lousy neighbors. (Kay, 62 years)

Provo, Utah: The Future

How do you think Provo will change over the next 10 years?

Will go for quality over quantity. (Amy, 1 year)
I think it’ll remain the same way. (Cam, 3 years)
I think it’s going to continue to morph from a college town to a place more friendly for long timers. (Julianne, 3 years)
Shift away from house to high density housing. (Jan, 3 years)
Hopefully it will get updated, and housing options will be better. (Spencer, 3 years)
It will grow rapidly, become less Mormon, and crime will increase. (Zak, 3 years)
Provo will continue to grow up. Buildings will get taller, and people will rely more on mass transit as the population explodes due to the massive amounts of business moving into the area. (Chad, 4 years)
Downtown will get nicer, the population will grow, there will be more homeless people. (Lauren, 4 years)
More diversity? (Emily, 4 years)
It will get bigger. (Jaime, 5 years)
I’d hate to see the west side go from farmland to overcrowded. (Tricia, 5 years)
I think it will grow bigger (more people). (Samuel, 6 years)
BRT is coming, housing prices will go up. (Mimi, 7 years)
Housing costs will go up. Cute shops will be run out by larger, more aggressive chains. The city will be become a sanitized, cash cow for a select few. She will become like all the other cities. She will lose her identity as she’s bulldozed and sold to the highest bidders. High-rises like the Nu Skin building and the condos on Center Street will take over the skyline. (Thomas L., 7 years)
Hopefully the demographics change and follow SL county. (Jason, 8 years)
More students, fewer families- especially near campus. (Julie, 8 years)
I’m hoping to see it keep booming. It has an issue with startups beginning there, and then moving elsewhere (usually Lehi, see Ancestry, Owlet, etc.) It would be good for the local economy if businesses could be persuaded to stay. (Kate, 8 years)
I think it’ll become more expensive. It seems there are a few real estate tycoons buying all the property they can, which makes it hard for families to find affordable single family homes, because you feel like you’re competing with wealthy investors. It seems to becoming more of a rental/college city. (Alex, 9 years)
I think it will continue to develop and maybe even start to look more like Lehi. Not sure if we’ll be able to fit many more sky scrapers – unless we start demolishing things, but either way it’ll be cool. (S., 9 years)
Redevelopment of old shopping areas into mixed use. Subdivisions added on the West side. (Geoff, 10 years)
Bigger, downtown will continue to change and revitalize. (Charlotte, 11 years)
Businesses will continue to leave, only small businesses will be here. West side will continue to be ignored. (Kent, 12 years)
Become more diverse. (Leatha, 12 years)
Massive growth and more diversity. (Peter, 15 years)
I think it will keep attracting more families. But housing prices will probably continue to rise because everyone wants to live here (Rebecca, 18 years)
I think we will see more growth, hopefully no too much though. Hopefully we will see more retail though. Especially on the West side. (Sarah, 19 years)
It will only get worse. I have 0 hope for that place. (Katelyn, 23 years)
Become more crowded and that’s sad. (Kathi, 24 years)
Bigger roads, more housing being built already, I pray that officials will pay attention to even the small voice of one to make it better for the future. Small businesses will do much better as the City grows, and the population rises. I know that the school system will continue to better themselves in the way that they can when they can. What we can do is speak our minds, and wait for the right person to hear us… (Johanna S., 28 years)
Agricultural space will go away, or change to hobby farms. More apartment complexes that are not for students. Better mass transit. (Karen, 30 years)
Hopefully more inclusive and welcoming. (Michael, 30 years)
Hopefully the important things won’t change like it being a safe and family friendly community. Things keep getting better so Provo’s future looks bright. (Sherri, 36 years)
Get bigger. (Chris, 38 years)
Yikes. Hoping that there is a solid infrastructure. Afraid of the influence realtors have on lawmakers. Worried about bus rapid transit. Hope pedestrians are watched out for in city plans as the neighbors continue lobbying for. A more usable parking standard for the residential areas. A healthy homeowner population with rentals that have responsible and accessible landlords. (Su, 39 years)
I think it’s going to deteriorate because of high density housing. (Kay, 40 years)
More students. (Anonymous, 50 years)
They will turn us into a rabbit hutch, high rise city, and then the economy will turn, and we will have building rotting like the Provo Mall. (Kay, 62 years)

Provo, Utah: Other Facts

Any other interesting facts about Provo?

Hotbed of entrepreneurship. (Amy, 1 year)
There’s a store in Provo Downtown where they sell English candies. (Cam, 3 years)
Great sense of community. (Jan, 3 years)
The Provo River trail is fun to ride on. (Zak, 3 years)
This is one of the most politically active communities I have ever lived in. (Chad, 4 years)
The State Mental Hospital has a hidden “castle” on the hill just east of the administration building. (Lauren, 4 years)
A lot of start up businesses, or people trying to climb up a corporate ladder. (Benjamin, 4 years)
Where I live, used to be part of the Utah Lake. (Tricia, 5 years)
The Lake used to beautiful and there were resorts, but it became polluted by people and non-native fish were added, and it was ruined. (Mimi, 7 years)
It was built over the remains of a great fishing community of Natives. Everything here was taken. (Thomas L., 7 years)
Provo has the farthest south Frontrunner train station. It has Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University nearby. It’s likely to get a medical school soon. There are lots of restaurants down town. It’s close to lots of fun activity places geared toward college students. (Alex, 9 years)
3rd largest city in the state! one of only a few Google Fiber cities, low unemployment rates. (S., 9 years)
Headquarters of ancestry.com. (Geoff, 10 years)
The Provo City Center Temple used to be the Provo Tabernacle – it was burned down a few years ago – all but the outer walls was destroyed. They preserved the outer walls and transformed it into a beautiful temple. Pretty amazing. The Provo Library used to be Brigham Young Academy (BYU in it’s beginning stages). Mayor Curtis did a fantastic job making the city into an awesome place to live – great hub for entrepreneurship, families, etc. (Rebecca, 18 years)
It’s a very gilded town. Everything seems beautifully perfect about this staple of happy valley, but those of us who have been victims of this place can see it for what it truly is. (Katelyn, 23 years)
So much to do without spending too much money or any at all! (Kathi, 24 years)
You can go from lake to mountains, river to hiking trails, indoor shopping malls to outdoor shopping malls to unique downtown shops. Provo has launched startup businesses and musicians in amazing numbers, many of whom have outgrown Provo, and achieved incredible success. (Karen, 30 years)
For the biggest city in Utah county it has the worse places to get a drink. (Michael, 30 years)
The BYU Motion Picture Studio is there. (Sherri, 36 years)
It’s named after the French trapper, Ettiene Provost. (Chris, 38 years)
There’s still some wildlife present. Awesome weather. (Su, 39 years)
I love the historical homes. (Kay, 40 years)
Not everyone is LDS. (Anonymous, 50 years)
Provo was a great little place to live, but in the last 10 years the “build at all costs” crowds have destroyed the city. (Kay, 62 years)