Most devoutly Catholic cities (cost, state, largest, places)

[green_mariner]

I can understand the large proportion of Catholics in places like North Dakota and Louisiana. North Dakota, I think it might have to do with a large German population. Louisiana, I think it has to do with Cajuns, Italians, and a sizeable Vietnamese population. I am curious about some of the counties in northern Montana though.

[imperialmog]

I am thinking in terms of devout Catholic cities, it seems that they tend to be rather close to the Bible Belt for some reason. (places like New Orleans, Cincinatti, St. Louis) I was wondering if being close to areas where Evangelical Protestentism dominates makes Catholics more likely to be more devout, or is something else at work?

[Smtchll]

I'd say St. Louis. I can feel the strong Catholic presence there, stronger than the Baptist presence here in Memphis. You can see Catholic signs & billboards, also lots of Catholic churches & schools close together. I'd say it's a mix of devout & cultural Catholics. A lot of people there treat Catholicism like a social club.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by Smtchll

I'd say St. Louis. I can feel the strong Catholic presence there, stronger than the Baptist presence here in Memphis. You can see Catholic signs & billboards, also lots of Catholic churches & schools close together. I'd say it's a mix of devout & cultural Catholics. A lot of people there treat Catholicism like a social club.

St. Louis is sometimes referred to as "Rome of the West" for the Catholic influence.

[kidphilly]

Originally Posted by kidphilly

Here is a link to the largest states by % of Catholics:

1 RI 63%
2 PA 52%
etc.

And largest population by city

USA, Statistics by Province, by Catholic Population [Catholic-Hierarchy]

This is not truly a city list but the regional affiliation so on the table San Diego is also included in the LA number etc.

[jknic]

I would say Vineland, NJ, as well as many other cities and towns in NJ and the Northeast, is a very devoutly Catholic city. Although the rest of our county is protestant, most people in our town are practicing Catholics. This is probably due to our (Vineland) population being made up of mostly Italian, Spanish, Polish, and Irish peoples.

For major cities, I think Philadelphia should be a consideration. I'm not sure how Catholic it is now, but back in the day certain parts of Philly were extremely Catholic.

[WestbankNOLA]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

Louisiana, I think it has to do with Cajuns, Italians, and a sizeable Vietnamese population. I am curious about some of the counties in northern Montana though.

With Louisiana, it comes from the being under Spanish and French rule. The majority of people in South Louisiana are catholic regardless of race/ethnicity. The Italians and Vietnamese are only significant in the GNO area so they wouldn't make much of a difference statewide. The Cajuns probably do play a large role in the southwestern half of the state, with Baton Rouge being an anomoly.

I wonder if STL's catholic population is a result of its position before the Louisiana Purchase.

[hdwell]

Well for the two most Baptist cities in the state of Louisiana, Shreveport and Monroe have small but noteworthy Italian and Lebonese communities-those two probablly make up the majority of RC's up there. Also small but noteworthy Greek communities; of course they are mostly Greek Orthodox.

[slengel]

Originally Posted by WestbankNOLA

With Louisiana, it comes from the being under Spanish and French rule. The majority of people in South Louisiana are catholic regardless of race/ethnicity. The Italians and Vietnamese are only significant in the GNO area so they wouldn't make much of a difference statewide. The Cajuns probably do play a large role in the southwestern half of the state, with Baton Rouge being an anomoly.

I wonder if STL's catholic population is a result of its position before the Louisiana Purchase.

highly probable. st. louis was an established city before the united states was even a country. it has an inherently european influence as a result. there is also a significant jewish population in st. louis. the substantial influence of both these cultural groups gives the city an older, more eastern air about it.

[jerriblank]

Originally Posted by missymomof3

Here's the map from the above website:

Wow look at all the catholics in the great lakes!!!