New research by PropertyShark.com provides insight into the religious real estate found in American cities. More specifically, the findings of their research were published as a list of American cities with the most religious venues per capita. The top 10 are
- Indianapolis, IN
- Seattle, WA
- Jacksonville, FL
- Washington, DC
- Memphis, TN
- Columbus, OH
- Dallas, TX
- Charlotte, NC
- Houston, TX
- Boston, MA
So What?
The presence of real estate venues designated for religious usage in these top cities ranges from 1 for every 289 people in Indianapolis to 1 for every 1,107 people in Boston. Since religious venues is a broad term and since venues are of all sizes and used for many purposes one cannot assume that cities with high rates of religious venues are cities with high rates of religious affiliation or practice. One can, however, assume that cities on the top ten list include more options for religious seekers than is common in our country.
As a former and future Texan, I was not surprised to find Texas as the only state with more than one city in the top ten (Dallas and Houston), nor was I surprised to learn that San Antonio was in the top twenty (#17).
- How many religious venues are within 1 mile of your home? 3 miles? 5 miles?
- How far do you drive to participate in a religious community? How far would you be willing to travel?