Living in Provo, Utah

Provo is a small city located in Utah County. Its population is very eclectic but mainly full of students that go to BYU, including small young families. The city is safe overall but like in any city there are some parts of the town that are safer than others.

For example if you are planning on moving to Provo look for housing in the North East. The West of Provo is not completely unsafe but the deeper you go west the worse it gets. Never look for a house in the South West of Provo unless you are used to seeing police cars often. I am a local and I wouldn't recommend that part of town to anybody and worse if you are a small family with kids.

Provo has a variety of outdoor activities and great parks and wildlife to explore. Provo Parks and Recreation do a good job keeping their grounds family friendly and safe. We also have a recreation center for the family with a public pool, gym, classes for parents and kids and a whole center for teens where they can go skate or play video games in a safe environment.

Another good thing about Provo is that even though is a small city it has everything that someone may need. A good mall with a variety of stores, and others in the nearby cities like in Orem which is just ten minutes away. Good grocery stores that have good grocery prices and compete to have the best deal (I recommend Smith's or Macey's). Big stores like Home Depot, Walmart, Kmart, Sam's Club, and a huge variety of restaurants.

Downtown Provo is small compared to big cities but it has a good variety of ethnic restaurants, novelty stores, and events that go on during the year like the Farmers Market at Pioneer Park, Taste of the Valley, Latin Festivals, Freedom Festival, Easter activities for kids, Safe trick or treating for families and a good light show for Christmas.

If looking for things to do with the kids, the Provo Library is a great place to go. It has a big variety of books, media, and many resources to please parents and kids. You can get movies, music, magazines and check them out for free and they also have reading time, parenting classes and many other classes to help the community learn about everything from nutrition, finances, tax preparation and even Internet blogging and all of these for free.

Life in Provo is perfect for families looking for a safe place to raise a family and for single people looking for their better half. The environment is welcoming and unique since I can't compare it to any other city. Provo is a great place with big city perks and the small town tranquility.