Provo [key], city (1990 pop. 86,835), seat of Utah co., N central Utah, on the Provo River near Utah Lake; inc. 1851. It is a distribution, processing, and manufacturing center in an extensive mining (silver, lead, copper, gold) and irrigated farm and fruit area. A major source of employment is a large steel mill nearby. Among the manufactures in Provo are electronic equipment, apparel, concrete and metal products, herbal products and health supplements, and computer software. There is also book publishing, coal tar refining, and iron casting. The city was settled by Mormons in 1849 and successfully defended against Native Americans in a war from 1865 to 1868. Railroad connections from Salt Lake City (1873) and Scofield (1878) made it a shipping point for the region's mines. The city grew considerably in the late 20th cent. Provo is the seat of Brigham Young Univ. Nearby are the Uinta National Forest, with headquarters in Provo; a state fish hatchery; a wild bird refuge; and Provo Peak (11,070 ft/3,374 m).
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