The Midway and Heber Valley area was initially settled upon the completion of a road linking the area with Provo in 1859. The majority of the initial settlers were born in England and been converted to Mormonism by Heber C. Kimball. To honor Kimball, they decided to name the valley and the first settlement after him. The Midway area is also often called Utah's Switzerland because of the rugged beauty of Mount Timpanogos, the local climate, and the large population of Swiss that eventually settled in the area.