Least religious cities in the U.S.

[_Panopticon]

http://www.theofrak.com/2012/05/least-religious-cities-in-us.html

I'm pleased to find out that two of my favorite cites in the West (Portland and Seattle) are among the least religious in the nation.

According to a study, the ten least religious cities in America are:

Portland
Tampa
Seattle
Las Vegas
Sacramento
Denver
Phoenix
Columbus
San Francisco
Miami

I'm frankly surprised about Phoenix. Mesa, which borders Phoenix, is is frequently referred to as "Little Salt Lake" due to its large Mormon population. I would have thought there would be more spillover.

No surprise, but Salt Lake City (my home town) was ranked the most religious, with 74 percent identifying with a religion.

[_Mercury]

Vegas, sure. It made me the man I am today. I'm surprised Austin is not on there.

[_Tchild]

Salt Lake City is like an atheist / agnostic heaven compared to Orem, Provo, American Fork, Pleasant Grove, Lindon, Springville, Mapleton and Lehi, Utah. Not only are all these cities more religious than Salt Lake City, but they are all bunched together in one little area that just concentrates that religiosity into a thick, smothering mental haze.

But seriously, I like Utah county. It is rather pretty with very low crime and a throwback to idyllic America.

Where else does entering a coffee shop make you feel Like you are rebel kin with the tatooed biker standing next to you?

[_Drifting]

http://www.theofrak.com/2012/05/least-religious-cities-in-us.html

I'm pleased to find out that two of my favorite cites in the West (Portland and Seattle) are among the least religious in the nation.

According to a study, the ten least religious cities in America are:

Portland
Tampa
Seattle
Las Vegas
Sacramento
Denver
Phoenix
Columbus
San Francisco
Miami

I'm frankly surprised about Phoenix. Mesa, which borders Phoenix, is is frequently referred to as "Little Salt Lake" due to its large Mormon population. I would have thought there would be more spillover.

No surprise, but Salt Lake City (my home town) was ranked the most religious, with 74 percent identifying with a religion.

How many of these places have been blessed with a Mormon Temple?

[_harmony]

How many of these places have been blessed with a Mormon Temple?

Almost all of them.

[_Drifting]

How many of these places have been blessed with a Mormon Temple?

Almost all of them.

Do these satistics then undermine the claims associated with the blessings for an area when a Mormon Temple gets built?

(you know, the whole "build it and they will come" kind of thing)

[_Chap]

How many of these places have been blessed with a Mormon Temple?

Almost all of them.

Do these statistics then undermine the claims associated with the blessings for an area when a Mormon Temple gets built?

(you know, the whole "build it and they will come" kind of thing)

Err ... OK, no problem:

1. The church goes where it is needed most.
2. Winnowing the wheat from the tares.

There! Easy, wasn't it?

[_EAllusion]

I'd like to see the methodology. The first thought I have is that a city must have a very high population to even qualify for the list. Madison, WI not being on a short least religious list strains credulity. But I imagine, like Provo, that it is too small to qualify as a city based on the ones that are listed. The working definition of "religious" here also seems to revolve around how many adherents/attendees various sects have relative to population, which seems flawed. Some people culturally identify with various churches while others don't when that doesn't necessarily indicate religiosity. For all we know, they might look at what congregations claim for themselves, which members of this board would know is a deeply flawed way to go.

[_Equality]

I'm surprised to see Phoenix and Tampa on the list. I am guessing that the definition of city does not include surrounding metropolitan areas.