PROVO

city, seat (1852) of Utah county, north-central Utah, U.S. It lies along the Provo River between Utah Lake and the Wasatch Mountains, at an elevation of 4,549 feet (1,387 m). Settled (1849) by a Mormon colonizing mission sent by Brigham Young, its name was changed (1850) from Fort Utah (established as a defense against Ute Indian attacks) to honour tienne Provost, a French-Canadian trapper. Construction of railroads in the 1870s from Salt Lake City (45 miles north-northwest) and Scofield spurred the city's industrial development as a centre for mining (silver, lead, copper, and gold) and manufacturing (steel, canning, electronics, and textiles). At Geneva, on the city's northwestern flank, is a large integrated steel plant. The founding in 1875 of Brigham Young Academy (which became a university in 1903) also contributed to Provo's growth. The adjacent Uinta National Forest is headquartered in the city. Nearby are the Timpanogos Cave National Monument (q.v.), a state fish hatchery and bird refuge, and Provo Peak (11,054 feet ). Inc. 1851. Pop. (1990) city, 86,835; Provo-Orem MSA, 263,590; (1994 est.) city, 88,519; (1995 est.) Provo-Orem MSA, 298,789.