Cities to watch in 2024: People move to Provo, Utah, for mountain fun and a neighborly atmosphere

• Provo, Utah, keeps appearing on lists of the best places to live in the US.
• The 113,000-person city has natural beauty and relatively affordable home prices of about $450,000.

Tucked between the Rocky Mountains and the edge of Utah Lake, the small city of Provo, Utah, is a dreamy place to live for nature lovers.

Jean Tanner told Business Insider that living 20 minutes from the slopes has its perks.

"You can go snowboarding all morning, come back down, and still get to work by 11," said Tanner, a local real-estate agent.

There must be something in the mountain air. Provo, about 45 miles south of Utah's capital Salt Lake City, keeps popping up on lists of the best places to live in the US. Provo was recently named one of the country's most "neighborly" cities, it's one of the smaller US cities with thriving tech scenes, and it's one of the hot spots where Gen Zers are able to buy homes.

The city, which has a population of about 113,000 and is home to Brigham Young University, is drawing young families with its abundance of outdoor activities, bustling job market, and relatively affordable homes.

The median sales price for Provo homes hovers around $450,000, according to Redfin, which is just slightly above the national average.

Jessica Jones told Fox Business in 2021 that moving from Seattle to Provo allowed her to buy a home. Jones, who worked in marketing, also fell in love with the famously friendly Provo culture.

"This is the first place I've lived where I actually know my next-door neighbors and we hang out and know each other's names," Jones told Fox Business.

Easy access to Silicon Slopes and downtown Salt Lake

Provo is located about a quick drive from Salt Lake City.

"If you don't have a need to be downtown Salt Lake, you get all the live-work-play benefits in Provo," real-estate agent Molly Jones told Business Insider. "It's suburban Salt Lake."

Coastal hubs including San Francisco, Seattle, and New York City may dominate the tech industry, but a burgeoning tech scene has emerged in and around Salt Lake City and nearby Lehi, Utah — all easily accessible from Provo.

Adobe, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon all have offices in the region — dubbed Silicon Slopes — which has helped Utah become the state with the highest job growth in America, according to US News & World Report.

Utah is also projected to be the top state for tech job growth over the next decade, according to data from The Computing Technology Industry Association.

A nature-loving lifestyle and family-oriented culture

Provo has consistently ranked high on Gallup's "healthiest place to live" index, which ranks cities' well-being based on factors such as emotional health, work environment, physical health, and access to basic necessities.

The Provo area has more than 60 hiking trails, according to outdoor almanac AllTrails, and there are three national parks within a four-hour drive.

Molly Jones, the real-estate agent, said that many families are attracted to the Provo area because of its small-town feel and relative lack of nightlife. Soccer teams and dance groups dominate residents' social calendars, she said.

"It's geared toward young families that are really into activities," Molly Jones said.