Provo dates to 1849, and 40 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 80% of U.S. towns · #6 of 119 in Utah. What drives it
Most of Provo was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. 40 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Reed Smoot House, a National Historic Landmark, and three historic districts with 648 buildings between them. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1853.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Provo’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Provo is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #6 of 119 in Utah. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Provo’s overall grade.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Provo ranks #123 on History.
Utah towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Utah town has 3.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Provo’s 60.4 sits above most of its state (86% of Utah towns have fewer) while its 693 historic buildings outnumber those of 98% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share (±1.1 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1849.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Provo’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Provo area was originally called Timpanogas, a Numic (Ute people) word perhaps meaning "rock river". The area was inhabited by the Timpanogos. It was the largest and most settled area in modern-day Utah. The ample food from the Provo River made the Timpanogos a peaceful people. 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.
Arrangements were made with the Indians for a big peace talk to be held in Provo on August 12. On that occasion two hundred of them were present as guests of the city of Provo. Not only was this affair "the greatest social event of the season
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
19, 1855, the Provo Road Company was incorpor¬ ated. Its purpose was to construct a road through Provo Canyon. The stock holders were in the main citizens of Provo, much of the stock being acquired by doing work on the road. By July, 1858, the road had been completed to Kamas-Prairie, at a cost of $19,000, and • was accepted by the County Court.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Provo, 1849 to 1976
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Provo. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1948Provo sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Provo.
Every building
Provo, building by building, 1888–1908
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1849, according to Wikidata. Provo’s post office opened in 1853, and the census of 1860 counted 2,030 people here.
How does Provo rank for history?
Provo is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #6 of 119 in Utah. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Provo?
40 listings: 35 buildings, among them the Reed Smoot House (a National Historic Landmark since 1976) and the Provo Tabernacle (listed 1975, the first), 3 historic districts, the Young, Brigham, Academy, the Provo Downtown Historic District and the Provo East Central Historic District (Additional Documentation, with 648 contributing buildings, and 2 structures. 693 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Provo?
7% of Provo’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.1 points), against a typical 2.8% for an Utah town; the median home was built in 1983.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (9), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (6), the National Register of Historic Places (40), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
★ Landmark
1910
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