Town of the Week, August 29, 1998

Take a visit to Provo, Utah; listen in.

Provo, Utah
(rebroadcast from 1/21/95)

An unusual collection of petroglyphs or cliff paintings line the upper campus walk at Brigham Young University, the west's largest school. BYU is located in Provo, Utah, a town of 90,000 started in 1849 by Jim Higbee and 30 Mormon families. They built on a wide terrace on the south bank of the Provo River in Utah Valley.

What used to be a poor agricultural community has gone high tech, as the valley now houses more than 230 silicon-based companies, including WordPerfect and Novell. People are moving into Utah County at a rate of 1300 a month, many returning from California where high-tech jobs are fewer and far between According to Money Magazine, Provo ranks in the top five American cities to live; citing its low crime, good health, relatively cheap housing, and striking location beneath the western face of the Wasatch Range.

While this area generally sees only 3 days below zero on average a year, more than 500 inches of snow fall in the mountains, which the natives call "the greatest snow on earth." There are many ski resorts nearby, including Robert Redford's Sundance, just 15 minutes up Provo Canyon. Within a short drive of Provo and its sister city, Orem, are countless attractions since Utah has more national parts and monuments than any other state.

Provo is the hometown of the inventor of television, Philo Farnsworth. And of the inventor of the hearing aid, Harvey Fletcher; and of the Osmond Family. Annual events of interest include a three-week long Freedom Fest which includes the National Bluegrass and Fiddlers Festival. This is the home of the high school Bulldogs, Thunderbirds and Lions, and it's our Town of the Week, Provo, Utah.