Tampa, Florida

=== Religion ===
[[File:Tampa Sacred Heart Church04.jpg|right|thumb|[[Sacred Heart Catholic Church (Tampa, Florida)|Sacred Heart Church]]]]
[[File:Tampa First Baptist Church02.jpg|thumb|First Baptist Church of Tampa, organized 1859]]

Communities of faith have organized in Tampa from 1846, when a [[Methodism|Methodist]] congregation established the city's first church,<ref name=floridahistory>[http://floridahistory.org/tampa.htm "Tampa&nbsp;– Florida's Industrial Port City".] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101021155929/http://floridahistory.org/tampa.htm |date=October 21, 2010 }} [http://floridahistory.org/ ''Florida History Internet Center''.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100312101239/http://www.floridahistory.org/ |date=March 12, 2010 }}. Retrieved February 27, 2010.</ref> to 1939, when a 21-year-old [[Billy Graham]] began his career as a spiritual evangelist and preacher on downtown's Franklin Street,<ref name=connection>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071025003643/http://www.tampagov.net/files/Tampa_Connection_Project_20030512.pdf "Downtown Tampa: Its Cultural and Historical Significance".] The Tampa Connection Project, [http://www.tampagov.net/ ''TampaGov''.]. Retrieved February 27, 2010.</ref> and through to today. Among Tampa's noteworthy [[church (building)|religious structures]] are [[Sacred Heart Catholic Church (Tampa, Florida)|Sacred Heart Catholic Church]], a 1905 downtown landmark noted for its soaring, [[Romanesque Revival architecture|Romanesque revival]] construction in granite and marble with [[Franz Mayer & Co.|German]]-crafted [[stained glass]] windows,<ref name=Sacred>[http://www.sacredheartfla.org/resources/ParishHistory.shtml "Sacred Heart Parish History".] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213235014/http://www.sacredheartfla.org/resources/ParishHistory.shtml |date=February 13, 2010 }} [http://www.sacredheartfla.org/ ''Sacred Heart Catholic Church''.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100123142344/http://www.sacredheartfla.org/ |date=January 23, 2010 }}. Retrieved February 27, 2010.</ref> the distinctive rock and mortar [[St. James House of Prayer Episcopal Church|St. James Episcopal House of Prayer]], listed with the [[National Register of Historic Places]],<ref>[http://stjameshoptpa.com/about-us.html "Our History".] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100118063927/http://stjameshoptpa.com/about-us.html |date=January 18, 2010 }} [http://stjameshoptpa.com/ ''St. James House of Prayer''.] . Retrieved February 27, 2010.</ref> and the St. Paul [[African Methodist Episcopal|AME]] church, which has seen the likes of Dr. [[Martin Luther King Jr.]]<ref name=connection/> and President [[Bill Clinton]] speak from its pulpit.<ref>Clinton, William Jefferson. November 3, 1996, [http://millercenter.org/scripps/archive/speeches/detail/4599 "Remarks to the Congregation of St. Paul's AME Church".] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100408015103/http://millercenter.org/scripps/archive/speeches/detail/4599 |date=April 8, 2010 }} [http://millercenter.org/ ''The Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia''.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080328024227/http://millercenter.org/ |date=March 28, 2008 }}. Retrieved February 27, 2010.</ref> The latter two have been designated by the city government as Local Landmark Structures.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20111116002303/http://www.tampagov.net/dept_Historic_Preservation/information_resources/landmark_structures/index.asp?sitemenuhide=n "Landmark Structures".] [http://www.tampagov.net/ ''TampaGov''.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150828145343/http://www.tampagov.net/ |date=August 28, 2015 }}. Retrieved April 26, 2010.</ref>

Tampa's religious community includes a broad representation of [[Christian denomination]]s, including those above, and [[Baptists|Baptist]], [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]], [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]], [[Christian Science]], [[Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)|Church of God]], [[United Church of Christ]], [[Philippine Independent Church]], [[Metropolitan Community Church]], [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-day Adventist]], [[Eastern Orthodox]] ([[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America|Greek]], [[Coptic Orthodox Church in the United States|Coptic]], [[Syriac Orthodox Church|Syrian]], and [[Orthodox Church in America|OCA]]), various [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]] movements, [[Anglicans]], the [[Quakers]], [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], and [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]. There is also at least one congregation of [[Messianic Judaism|Messianic Jews]] in Tampa.<ref>{{cite web |title=Messianic Covenant Congregations and Stewards |url=http://www.messianiccovenant.com/united-states/florida |publisher=Messianiccovenant.com |access-date=April 14, 2014 |archive-date=August 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825142817/http://www.messianiccovenant.com/united-states/florida |url-status=dead}}</ref> There is a [[Korea Baptist Convention|Korean Baptist]] church,<ref>{{cite web |title=Churches |url=http://www.kamr.org/churches/by_state/FL |publisher=Korean American Ministry Resources |access-date=April 14, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140415054421/http://www.kamr.org/churches/by_state/FL |archive-date=April 15, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=New Light Church, Tampa, Florida |url=http://www.kfbctampa.org/ |publisher=Korean First Baptist Church of Tampa |access-date=April 14, 2014 |archive-date=April 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140415155359/http://www.kfbctampa.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> a [[Mennonite]] church, several [[Haiti]]an churches, and a [[Vietnam]]ese Baptist Church.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tampa, FL Churches |url=http://www.faithstreet.com/tampa-fl |publisher=Faith Street |access-date=April 14, 2014 |archive-date=April 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416041640/http://www.faithstreet.com/tampa-fl |url-status=live }}</ref> Tampa has several [[American Jews|Jewish]] synagogues practicing [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]], [[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]], and [[Reform Judaism|Reform]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Spiritual Life |publisher=University of Tampa |url=https://www.ut.edu/spiritual/ |access-date=August 11, 2016 |archive-date=August 2, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160802220022/http://www.ut.edu/spiritual/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition, there is a small [[Zoroastrian]] community present in Tampa.<ref>{{cite web |title=FEZANA Member Associations |publisher=Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America |url=http://www.fezana.net/members/ |access-date=August 11, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160715013618/http://www.fezana.net/members/ |archive-date=July 15, 2016}}</ref> as well as several [[Unitarian Universalist]] congregations

Around the city are a handful of [[mosque]]s for followers of [[Islam]], as well as a [[Tibetan Buddhism|Tibetan-style]] [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] temple, a [[Theravada|Thai Buddhist]] [[Wat]],<ref>{{cite news |title=A little piece of Thailand |url=http://www.sptimes.com/2003/04/14/TampaBay/_A_little_piece_of_Th.shtml |author=Pichaya Fitts |date=April 14, 2003 |newspaper=[[Tampa Bay Times]] |access-date=January 1, 2012 |archive-date=January 31, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120131160143/http://www.sptimes.com/2003/04/14/TampaBay/_A_little_piece_of_Th.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> and local worship centers for the [[Sikh]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tampagurdwara.com/ |title=Tampa Gurdwara – Tampa Sikh Community Site |work=tampagurdwara.com |access-date=January 16, 2017 |archive-date=January 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170115210542/http://tampagurdwara.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Hindu]] and [[Baháʼí Faith]]s. The [[Church of Scientology]], based in nearby [[Clearwater, Florida|Clearwater]], maintains a location for its members in Tampa.<ref>[http://www.scientology-tampa.org/ ''Church of Scientology Tampa''.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100304171620/http://www.scientology-tampa.org/ |date=March 4, 2010 }}. Retrieved February 27, 2010.</ref>

Overall, Tampa is 50th out of the largest 51 metropolitan area in the percentage of the populace that attends religious services of any kind, with less than 35% of the population regularly attending services. Only the [[Portland, Oregon]] area is less observant.<ref>{{cite news |last=Romano |first=John |title=Tampa Bay ranks low in religion census |url=http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/tampa-bay-ranks-low-in-religion-census/1231306 |access-date=April 15, 2014 |newspaper=Tampa Bay Times |date=May 21, 2012 |archive-date=April 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416182217/http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/tampa-bay-ranks-low-in-religion-census/1231306 |url-status=live }}</ref>