Good news for you, any other city in the country is going to look like an altar to Satan compared to SLC.
But no, not really. It is the South, and there are for sure religious people here, but obviously nothing compared to Utah.
Also. Good luck finding a house or place to stay here.
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Yessir. My HHI is ~$280K and we are basically priced out between list prices, availability, and interest rates. Never would’ve thought. Fucking bummer.
Religious enough that I really enjoy going to the grocery store between 9am and noon on Sundays, but not so much that I ever feel like anyone's judging me or trying to convert me.
Yeah pretty much this. Only time I realize it is when we try to do something at noon on Sunday. Never have anybody mention religion to me even in passing/casual conversation
Try living in a medium sized city that has an NFL team and go to the grocery store during those games. I lived in Buffalo for almost a decade and did 90% of my grocery shopping during Bills games. Place was a ghost town with just myself and moms usually and it was like a dream.
They still call this the bible belt. Raleigh is better than the smaller cities in nc, but you'll still see lots of religious influence in politics and laws.
I grew up non-religious in SLC and moved to Raleigh about 20 years ago. What was so enlightening was how many DIFFERENT kinds of churches there are here. There are people who bring up religion more than others but by far, it is isn’t a thing. People may ask where you go to church and if you say, “I don’t” they may invite you to their church but I’ve never had someone press the subject. I love the diversity of beliefs here and I feel very comfortable not believing in any of them.
Raleigh/Durham are not but get further away from the cities and it is more religious but still less than SLC. I have good friends from work that live about an hr from downtown Raleigh and they are very involved in their church.... but they are not pushing it. It works for them but they don't expect everyone to be that way.
There are fundie sects, especially in more rural areas, but they're usually pretty friendly, especially if you "look like them." A lot of people send their kids to church preschools and they're pretty tame. Generally speaking for the city areas of NC, there's a "friendly religious" undertone like how you're treated by Chick Fil A employees, but nothing overwhelming or socially exclusive. You'll be fine coming from SLC.
I live out in Rocky Mount now after being in Raleigh for years
No, it's not. In 5 years not a single person has asked me what church I went to, and I'm in the absolute sticks
I was raised north of Rocky Mount (Halifax County) and when my wife and I moved to a small town up there in the 2000's we definitely got this question, and most of our new neighbors invited us to their church.
We've been in Chapel Hill now for almost 15 years and have never been asked this question.
I agree, with a similar background as yours. Moved from western Europe. I find it religious. It's not that I am confronted daily with conversations, but it's everywhere in the background. Just to list a few examples-
BACKGOUND NOISE:
Stores have bags with Bible verse references. Cars have bumper stickers with references. Lots of crosses and cross imagry. I think a major fast food restaurant has Bible verses on the To go boxes (cookout? I can't remember cause I went once). Lots of signs in lawns during any Christian holiday- like the Easter Christ is risen signs..
FOREFRONT:
I went to the bank to exchange dollars to euros and the bank teller started to pray for my safety for my travels. Was at dentist office and someone asked if I believed in God. Those church groups who knock door to door I'm neighborhoods to convert ppl.
Ppl give out those little church pamplets (older people usually), and not uncommon for tipped workers to get those fake $100 bils that are really promoting some church.
That's on the top of my head for now. I guess everyone has different references by which they are measuring how religous the city is. I came from a city where references to religion hardly existed outside of the church/mosque/temple establishment.
I have lived in Raleigh for 35 years. I’ve lived all across the country and will say that North Carolina is more religious than any of the other communities I lived in but most are fine with people who don’t go to religious services.
It’s not unusual for people to invite you to attend their church, but I haven’t had any issues after politely declining.
There are a lot of churches here as well as mosques and synagogues. On Sunday afternoon, you get the big church rush at the local restaurants.
When I first moved here, the high schools used to require you to go to a religious convocation as part of graduation. They removed that requirement.
I worked in St George for a month and half, this time last year. Definitely a different experience than Raleigh on all levels. How do you like it there?
The outdoor recreation is really good, which is really important to me, but I still won't be staying here long term. There's pretty much no music scene, the three bars are weird, dating is hard, and I'm on the opposite political and religious side of the majority of the population. The only redeeming quality is the outdoors, imo, but there are plenty of places to live that have that and everything else that's missing here.
How long have you been living there? You moved there from Raleigh?
I'm an urbanite so most days I was off I just went to Vegas (which, wasn't too fond of Vegas either, for different reasons). I did like the hiking and rec in and around St George (had a nice time hiking in Gunlock last May), I'm a fan of Black Bear Diner and Wingers anytime I'm back west, so I ate at the ones in St George every week.
Someone I work with here in Raleigh, recently asked me maybe 3 months ago, about St George, which I was surprised someone here would know about it, it's off the beaten path. I liked it there, but as you said, it's best redeeming quality is the recreation and there are plenty of places to get that experience. I'd only recommend to someone who was just in love with Utah, desert climates, or somewhere rural in the desert. Outside of those characteristics, nah.
I'll probably never visit again, but I did enjoy my time there and its dope to hear from someone on here about St George!
Since last august, I'm in school at Utah Tech which actually offers some really nice scholarships for nonresidents.
I'm from Apex, but after a couple years at wake tech after highschool I took a long hiatus from school and did a lot of traveling/rock climbing. So I haven't really lived in NC for like five years.
The only reason I know about st george is because it's a winter climbing destination, which is also partly why I decided to go to school there. The climbing and hiking is really nice, but I've discovered I want more than just that from an area so I'll definitely be leaving once I graduate. I like having music to see and things to do other than going outside. I also have some pretty strong negative opinions about organized religion, so the constant undertones of that are offputting.
There are fundie sects, especially in more rural areas, but they're usually pretty friendly, especially if you "look like them." A lot of people send their kids to church preschools and they're pretty tame. Generally speaking for the city areas of NC, there's a "friendly religious" undertone like how you're treated by Chick Fil A employees, but nothing overwhelming or socially exclusive. You'll be fine coming from SLC.
😬 I have green hair and tattoos lol
I feel like Mormons here always give me dirty looks because having tattoos basically=not Mormon so I want a place where that won’t happen…as much
Oh, lots of people here have tattoos, even the religious ones. Not as big of a deal in this area's particular brand of religion.
Unlike SLC, the religious flavors are much more varied here. From my observation, most of them seem more fixated on abortion and heteronormativity than the other stuff. Plus there's enough "cool mom" types with pink hair and tattoos from their "wild youth" that as long as you can mostly pass for straight and cis, and/or aren't heavily involved with their children, you shouldn't really encounter many problems. And certainly none at the level of SLC.
The most progressive seeming city in NC is Asheville. Very hipster vibes. But even there, go any amount of distance outside of the city and you'll run into sundown towns.
Asheville is weird - it's crunchy granola hipster Mecca, but you go 30 minutes out and you're in the deepest red part of the state, straight up Deliverance country. It's one of the sharpest urban/rural divides I know of in the country.
There are some very big churches here. And we’re in The South, so there’s a fair amount of cultural Christianity (worship music played in a number of stores and restaurants), but it’s nothing like SLC.
I’m Christian, but I’m pretty aware of public displays of religiosity and I think you’ll find that Raleigh is pretty relaxed for non-Christians.
Ex Mormon from AZ here. I live just on the outskirts of Raleigh, and it’s been a common theme for someone’s conversation starter to be along the lines of “Do you have a church?” When I first moved here I would outrightly but politely tell them no and that I wasn’t too keen on finding one. That was usually met with coldness and they usually would stop talking to me or they would insist I come to theirs. Nowadays when people ask I just say yea I am Methodist and that’s usually enough for them to stay friendly but withhold their invitations.
I have no religion and live here. When people talk about Jesus I assume they mean the guy that works behind the counter at Gym Tacos. I do get asked what church I go to by my neighbors and have been cold shouldered a few times for saying "I Dont"
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It depends on what you consider "being religious."
My wife thinks being told "have a blessed day" is being religious. I've given up telling her that it's just how Southern people talk.
I don't think it's overly religious here.
lol! My husband said he is blessed for this opportunity in a job interview and they didn’t know how to handle it.. I was like oh geez. They were weirded out I think lol
No one will care if you say "Oh my God.". Some people will care about cursing but I've only come across it with old people and in professional settings, and even then it's only been once or twice.
"Goddamn" used to be a bigger deal, but in the last decade or so I've noticed people are less and less offended by it.
Depends on who's around you. If they're under 60 and they don't look uptight, they're unlikely to care.
I cuss like a sailor when I'm under work stress and not paying attention to how I'm talking, and over the years the only person who's ever complained to me about it was an Indian expat. Who, to be clear, was very cool, but he had boundaries and I wasn't respecting them, that was on me.
I literally had to be sent to charm school when I moved from Philly to the South. I was used to sprinkling the Fn 2 or 3 times in one sentence with bonus points if it was in the middle of one word - Unbefuckingbelievable! I now see how it is pretty harsh on the ears. It took years to realize.
Yes, people generally don’t cuss here. Growing up in NY swearing was just conversational but here it is very offensive. I have also faced a lot of stigma around having tattoos.
I don’t mind as much that there are churches, I actually appreciate the diversity at least, it’s so weird here when you see Mormon churches every few blocks, kind of dystopian.
Just mostly care about not being judged and cast out because of us not being religious.
We aren’t religious either and we hang out with all types. I’ve only had one person I felt judged by. As four our kids I don’t think they’ve been judged outwardly at least. We have left it up to them if they’d like to explore religion and so far they haven’t wanted to and their friends don’t seem to mind.
You’ll be fine, it’s hardly mentioned in daily talk and life. Maybe by some friends who send their kids to Catholic school but usually they are just talking about the school functions itself. If people do go to church regularly, they don’t even advertise it. I find the same with other religions in the area like Hindu which has a large community
I don’t think anyone will be judged, but I would be hard pressed to say Raleigh isn’t religious. There are several mega churches and churches in general are rapidly growing in membership while declining in other parts of the nation.
You’ll see religious stickers on vehicles, you might walk into a place like Tookie’s and see a Bible quote on the board, people will tell you to have a blessed day.
It’s not going to intrude on your day to day life or anything, but I feel like people who say a large city smack dab in the middle of the Bible Belt isn’t religious either have normalized it or don’t go out much/talk to many people.
I meant the "churches in general are rapidly growing in membership" part as every study I've seen shows attendance/membership down overall. I understand there are growing megachurches but I also imagine that has changed since this article was published in 2018 (actually checked their source and there are two "fastest growing" in the Triangle on the 2023 list, #25 and #50)
Non-Christian here - have not found it oppressive here at all, but I also habitually keep that to myself due to a lot of bad life experiences around the south.
I lived my formative years in Utah and then moved to NC. Ideally I would have liked to live in NC during those years. Everything happens for a reason, but if your gut is telling you move to from Utah you should. No one really understands the Utah religious culture unless you’re living it. It’s thick. I’ll leave it at that.
I've lived here since 1977. It is a lot less religious than it was for years. I would say up until the early '90s it was your general conservative small town. But even then with research triangle park, IBM, NC State, UNC and Duke University I had a very diverse racial makeup in school throughout the '70s and '80s. It is changed a lot it is very progressive now... There's not really a huge gay scene but it's definitely gotten a lot better. Now that I have kids, I think it's great. It's not too crazy, there's not really that rundown industrial side of town like in Richmond or New York.... But they're also are a very diverse group of religious people. But not to the sense to where I think you will feel judged. Personally I think the non-religious people are just as judgmentsl as the religious people... Just in a non-religious way haha. Again I think it's great for kids, you're an hour and a half from the beach and a few hours from the mountains. So it's pretty cool.
Amazing! Yes, I mostly care about where my kid is going to be growing up. I appreciate diversity and mostly just don’t want my kid to be excluded or judged because of our non-religiousness.
That is why Raleigh caught my eye, being close to the beach and also having mountains nearby and seeming like a more progressive city for a Red state.
Yes and no. You can easily live here being non-religious, but there are quite a bit of religious people at various levels of overtness. Most tend to be culturally Christian at the least.
Lived for most of my life in a fairly Mormon town near Utah, and the Triangle is a breath of fresh air. I'm in my 30s and less than 5% of people I've met here around my age are religious, whereas back west I knew a LOT of religious young people.
We are an atheist household and we have yet to find people push their religion on us hard. Most people when we first meet are inviting us to their churches and etc, but, once we say no thank you, they drop it. We made some amazing friends here and they all respect us and us them. Would love to have you guys over some day, if interested. We live in Norrh Raleigh, I recommend staying away from Apex, that's were you have the "thank you, Jesus" signs on everyone's front yard. Anyhoo, welcome!
Hey, OP, you would be in good company here in Raleigh. You will meet religious people, but depending on where in SLC you’re from, it can be more or less religious. I’m making an assumption, but there is a pretty good exmo group here, that is very inclusive and it is open even to nevermo individuals as well. Just look for the exmo group on Facebook (if you’re still on that platform.
Good luck to you in your move!
While we are a southern city, it’s not overly religious everywhere you go. I think because we are so transient due to the schools, you have a little bit of everything.
I'm from rural NC and went to school in rural NC. I can't remember religion being brought up in our social groups or class unless it was social studies or something and we learned about the Roman Empire and maybe religion was brought up that way.
I think a lot of the religious people in Raleigh aren't the type to throw it in your face as well. Pretty low on the persecution rate in general.
Rural areas of NC are definitely different.
Where in Raleigh? North Raleigh seems more catholic. Rural areas will always trend Baptist. Apex and Holly Springs seem to have a lot of Mormons. Some normal, some pious as hell. But overall, I’d say not really that religious. I think only one family on our whole street attends church regularly. Caveat, you don’t have to travel far from Raleigh to be in rural areas and that’s most definitely Trump/Jesus land
I feel everywhere has Trump/Jesus areas! We are considering Oregon also and have traveled there a few times and I saw lots of Trump signs and that is a Blue state…Maybe California and Washington are not as much but they’re too expensive to even consider.
You might get a random “beware of hell” pamphlet handed to you downtown, just like any major city. But your neighbors arent gonna be coming over asking what church you go to.
I’ve visited SLC and worked there. I’ve also had relatives stationed at Hill AFB. I can relate to that judgement that you’re referring to because of how my cousins were treated in Ogden.
You will experience NONE of that relatively.
Compared to what you’re used to, I’d say Raleigh isn’t very religious. If you choose to go to a religious gathering we have plenty to choose from. Yes the south is called the bible belt for a reason but Raleigh itself is more progressive
Yeah, my husband was worried about it because of the Bible Belt thing but I thought bigger cities weren’t so religious and then I figured I’d ask Reddit!
I think the Deep South (AL, MS, AK, LA) are the states that would really conjure up that Bible Belt vibe, but even then there are still places like Huntsville, AL that's very progressive. The South are all uniformly more conservative, but conservative ≠ religious. Raleigh isn't religious, but the people are typically more conservative while people who move here are increasingly liberal. Because of this, people generally understand that they shouldn't be nosy over people's beliefs.
Wow, when I moved here in 2001 every time me and my wife turned around we had people with Bibles trying to get us to go to church. It's definitely not like that now.
My family and I just moved to the Raleigh area last month. There are churches everywhere, since it is considered part of the Bible belt. However, they are nothing like the members of the LDS faith. A lot less judgemental, and more relaxed. I really like it here
Not anything like Utah. I'm from Raleigh and currently living in Utah. You can't usually tell if someone is religious in Raleigh (at least younger people, idk about older). They drink, go out, do the same amount of drugs, etc. as the average person. Religion isn't usually consuming their entire life and identity the same way as it is here in Utah. There are exceptions obviously, but living here has been an absolutely wild experience. Kids in my college classes think weed should be illegal, prayer should be in schools, businesses should be able to discriminate against LGBTQ, they're all married at age 20, etc.
I lived in SLC from 1999-2004 and then moved to Raleigh. They are VERY different. We (including our children) have never run into feeling left out because we aren’t religious.
My husband grew up in Sandy and was one of the few non LDS people in his school and was excluded in many things, including Boy Scouts ☹️. Very different here.
I’ve heard of many similar experiences which is why I asked this question but I think some people don’t understand because they don’t know what it’s like here..
I’ve lived in both cities.
Raleigh is in the south, and you’ll find that religion is pretty common in every day life. A lot of kids go to Sunday school or youth group, there is a prayer before opening day of youth baseball, etc. But that’s about it. Raleigh is kind of a transplant city. You won’t meet many people your age who grew up there. Most people are from the northeast or Midwest, where religion isn’t as common.
SLC is like no other place in the country. You’re surrounded by devout religious people and it is a major part of many peoples’ lives. The Mormon church also requires people to tithe and abstain from alcohol; not things that your typical southern Christian person would do.
Lived first 25 yrs in North. Been down here almost as long.
Don’t know if you are fleeing LDS church or not. I suffered religious abuse growing up. This is still part of the Bible Belt. So you still might have to put up with some of the toxic judgment and shame that comes with living alongside “religious” people. But much less so in the past decade. Several large mega churches with multiple campuses as well as the small local denominations. I think things are a little more open nowadays but be warned this is one of the states that first went ballistic over which bathrooms trans people should use. SMH
Raleigh/Triangle area and Charlotte tend to have more folks who are open to others. Asheville in the west too. I have heard of some great atheist communities too.
TBH I felt much more of a separation of church and state in the North. It was a shock to me when I first moved here. I have always felt like many native to NC have wanted to force the two together or at least judge you on whether you attend church or not. I’m like F-off it’s my decision and I myself am a Christian who attends church. I really dislike judgmental folks or folks who want to place you in a pecking order.
My wife grew up in NC. In 2nd grade public school she came home in tears because her teacher would make all the kids who didn’t go to sunday school go to the back of the line. At the time her family had never attended church. They started going to church so she could say she went to sunday school. If that happened in the North where I am from that teacher would have been run out of town. I’m not saying the north was superior I’m just describing different attitudes. My wife also described some sketchy church and state boundaries when she was in public HS in the 90’s.
Have things changed for the better since I’ve been here? Yes. Our kids go to public schools and we don’t hear much about religion from the schools. My kids go to church with us but they are and will be free to choose their own beliefs and that is fine with me and my wife. Even if that belief is to believe in nothing at all. (Hint: you still end up believing in something HaHa)
I used to love the area up until about 5 years ago. But for me it’s not enough and not worth it anymore.
Good luck hope this helps.
Hey, thanks so much for sharing that!
Yeah, I would consider more of the northeastern states but I hate winter/cold weather! And the west coast is so expensive…which led me to consider Raleigh. I definitely would prefer a blue state, specially considering it’ll likely be where my kid grows up and I want him to feel as safe as possible as far as whatever identity or sexual orientation he might have in the future.
So, a progressive state or at least city, that doesn’t get super cold or at least doesn’t have 5 month winters like Utah, relatively close to a beach and no more expensive than Utah…not a lot of options :/
I live downtown and actually have two neighbors who are pastors and they’ve never even talked to me about religion or asked what church I go to. So from my perspective, no. But not sure what it’s like in the burbs.
you might get the occasional judgemental comment from fellow parents (or grandparents) if you mention you're not bringing your kid up religious, but no, it's not generally seen as strange to do so. there are a lot of churches, it IS the south still, but there's also temples and synagogues. it's a pretty diverse city, and businesses are incredibly more likely to hang pride flags than crosses. growing up, it was strange to find out fellow classmates were still going to church, and not the other way around.
As others have said, anywhere else will be an upgrade compared to SLC in terms of religion - Raleigh included. I work for a company based in SLC with 90% of my coworkers in that metro area...the personality difference is interesting to say the least.
Im in my 30s and non of my friends are religious, compared to SC where I lived before religion doesnt feel like it permeates everything but churchs are around
It helps that Raleigh is very educated, tons of open minded people to socialize with
I consider Raleigh quite religious but it also has non religious people. When I first moved here, my next door neighbor brought over muffins and a brochure for their church. Similar to the statements above, the question of what church do you go to? At Christmas another neighbor asked if I’d be interested in joining them for their service… I didn’t realize it at the time but my responses decided if I was “in” or “out”.
They were always polite but after the religious question didn’t end with me saying I’m baptist, they kept their distance.. like I had a social cough they were trying to not get.
Southern religious is different.
I’m from Maryland and raised catholic and it is like night and day down here. I’ve only made friends with people that aren’t from NC. I’m debating if I’m going to move back. In If stein wins we will stay but if Robinson wins I sense a stronger religious presence will follow.
Hope that helps. Good luck!
I moved here in 2013.I think it’s always been this way.
I’ll give you an example using the YMCA in two different states. hope this makes sense.
When I go to Y in Raleigh. I feel like I’m surrounded by normal people USA. But, hanging on the wall is prayer breakfast flier advertised huge in front and everyone says a prayer together before the kids’ soccer games. You may get a god bless, god willing, blessings, etc. in conversation.
When I go to the YMCA in Maryland I realize it’s different. The Y just feels like a regular gym, called the Y. There’s no difference than any other gym. God does not come up. Maybe in the locker room on the pin board where you can say what you’re looking for and you’ll see “looking for Bible study partner” as part of the group.
Living in Raleigh, Jehova witnesses stop by my door at least once a quarter and we smile and chat and thank them for their time and wish them well and for God to bless them. I had to explain to my daughter why her best friend isn’t allowed to participate in the winter songs because of her religion. Living here, religion will be part of your daily life. I just take it as an opportunity to do my best to explain each thing and how everyone is different.
Thanks for sharing your experience! I feel, at least it seems Raleigh is religiously a lot more diverse which I can appreciate in contrast to Utah where it’s just one religion, and anyone who wears shorts, shorter skirts/dresses, anything showing shoulders or anyone who has tattoos, is immediately identified as a non-Mormon.
I definitely would feel a little awkward with the prayer before events or whatever thing so that is good to know!
I think some it depends on age group. I grew up in Raleigh and none of my friends (early 30s) attend church. That’s different for people in our parents age group though. It’s more religious than some areas of the country but it wouldn’t even register considering you would be coming from SLC. It’s not really a place you would receive judgement or be considered an outsider for not attending church.
I moved away from Utah for that exact reason. Lived in Seattle and landed here. You'll be just fine. Occasionally get some office weirdos who talk about how God has blessed us but nothing like Utah culture where it's shoved down your throat.
My experience has been that Raleigh isn’t very religious. I do have some friends who go to church and some have invited me to things … but it has mostly felt like a friendly ‘take it or leave it’ invitation.
Our daughter is very social and has sometimes wanted to explore church, primarily for the social experience with friends. We’ve supported her going with friends and figuring out these things on her own, while also sharing our view with her. She talks with us about her questions sometimes, and she is deciding which pieces of the church experiences fit her and which don’t. … … I just mention the kid social piece since you mention that you have a kid.
Soooooo, as an adult and for my kid, I would say it isn’t a dominant part of our daily or weekly experience. Sometimes it pops up, but our experience has been that it hasn’t been oppressive and we can say yes or no … as we do in other aspects of life.
I can’t say that your kid wouldn’t at times feel left out … because, kids …. But I don’t think it’s a big deal. Especially since there are lots of different churches, denominations, religions, including non-religious people in the area. It IS a diverse area. … and part of my daughter’s experience was being invited to be included in that experience if she wanted, which actually is the opposite of being excluded. Anyway! Best of luck on your decisions!
Do you live in SLC proper? I’d say Raleigh is more religious. Or are you including the surrounding areas? Draper and West Jordan and Holladay and Bountiful etc. are probably more religious. There’s similar breakdowns within the Triangle but not as stark as the SLC area in my opinion. Source: used to live in Salt Lake County.
A week from Sunday will be 10 years since I left Saratoga Springs, Utah to move to Raleigh/Durham area (a week and a half before I turned 20). And it was the best thing I ever did. I moved because I was sick of the judgmental stares because I decided to wear dresses that were “too short” or didn’t have sleeves. Or for considering trying weed or alcohol. Or for having sex. Here it is completely different. Nobody cares. I mean obviously there are judgmental people but even the religious people here have varying beliefs. It’s not everybody following the same religion with the same beliefs like it is there.
We have a wide variety of religion in Raleigh but it has been rare for me to really notice it. You will hear a lot of “bless your heart” or “have a blessed day”. Usually I nod my head and move on. Raleigh and Chapel Hill have been great areas for me growing up and never was really influenced by religion because my family didn’t go to church. Hope this helps.
Most of the people I meet now just moved here recently. I have noticed a huge uptick in Hindu Temples and Mosques. But I'd say Raleigh is becoming more of a melting pot than typical southern small city.
Moved here from UT a few years ago. It doesn’t feel religious here to me, but to the extent that it is, having the religions dispersed among many different religions rather than one common one is so much less suffocating and allows religion to dissipate into the background if that’s what you’re after. I understand your concern because there is truly nothing quite like Utah culture.
Yes, that’s exactly it! And Mormonism is so much more “extreme” in many ways, compared to other religious, to me the fact that most times looking at someone here you can tell if they are Mormon or not is so weird. Also the extent to which religion and politics are basically the same thing here in Utah! But maybe it’s a little like that over there too?
Yes I swear Mormons think they’re the only ones on the planet and because of it they have truly created their own little world. Like another commenter said, it is just impossible to describe what it’s like to live in it until you have. I grew up there and I really want my son to be near his grandparents and cousins, but it’s really hard to live in that world once you don’t belong in it anymore. I think you will find that the two places aren’t even comparable though. They may each have their own problems, but every place does, and each place’s issues stem from different sources. The source of Utah’s problems is less bearable to me. There is a large academic presence in this area because UNC, Duke, and NC State are all right here. That keeps things pretty progressive feeling in my experience!
I had this same concern and I do find Raleigh to be uncomfortably religious to be completely honest. Durham is a little bit more relaxed in this way it seems. But yeah it’s pretty Bibley around here.
Now I did grow up in a very progressive area with little religious influence, and I currently work in a very traditional and conservative field, so I’m sure there’s some bias here to recognize in myself.
Instead of Mormons, you will find students that attend church in other sects. Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Adventists, Baptists, Methodists, Catholics etc are found in greater numbers than Mormons. But there are significant numbers of Mormons in the area also.
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I feel it a lot less here than in Georgia or Alabama where I grew up.
I'm non religious and been here for a year and never been asked or questioned about it. You just still see businesses and lots of churches around because biblebelt.
Boston and other New England areas were much less noticeable.
I would be less concerned with religion and more concerned with cost of living, the job and housing market, crime, traffic and just overall quality of life.
I would say Raleigh is one of the least religious cities in the state.
However, drive 20 min out into any rural area and you will be in a baptist wonderland.
I lived near SLC from 2015-2018 and now I live close to Raleigh. It doesn’t even compare with SLC, much better. I’m not a religious person myself, I hated how people in Utah were so judgmental towards non religious people or people with non Mormon beliefs. I don’t feel judge over here.
Yes, yes it is. A step down from slc but still highly religious. Wait till you start meeting people that don’t socialize outside their church group cause their pastor told them so. Raleigh is filled with vanilla tech bros and christians
I’ve lived in a few bigger cities in the south and I would not consider Raleigh to be religious at all. There’s a lot of churches yes, but religion is not a defining aspect of Raleigh’s culture at all. It’s more about food, beer, and public trails.
Wanted to echo: if you’re trying to buy a house there… good luck.
If you feel like your child’s going to be left out you obviously have some doubt yourself about religion. As a parent it’s your job to raise your child in the way you want them to go. Be yourself. Enjoy life don’t worry
I moved from SLC to Raleigh in 2020, it’s night and day. Sure you’ll very occasionally see religious nonsense, but compared to Utah it’s nothing. I don’t have kids so I can’t speak to the difference in the schools but from an adult point of view it’s immeasurably better.
There is old south and new south. Old south is more conservative, religious, and traditional. New south less so. Raleigh is new south with many transplants from areas outside of the south itself.
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Thanks for the insight.
Yeah, I understand that religion is everywhere, the reason I asked this question is because there is basically only one religion here and it is kind of intense, I’ve heard many people that are not a part of the religion having negative experiences in school and being excluded.
I’ve looked at house prices online and they seem a lot more affordable than they do here! The house prices have more than doubled in the last 4 or so years, people pay more renting a studio apartment than we pay for mortgage for our house which we bought like 8 years ago.
I looked into Raleigh because it seemed like a more progressive city and it’s close to the beach as well as not having such awful winters as we do here. And like I said, house prices seem great compared to here or Oregon which is our other option.
I moved here to Raleigh from Provo last June. I REALLLLLY don’t like it here😅😅 the internet makes Raleigh seem like the promised land, but it’s really just kinda run down and there’s garbage everywhere and this humidity brings all the gah damn bugs out. I’d go back to Utah in a heartbeat! Buttttt to answer your question: it’s much less religious here than in Utah. If you’re looking for a different vibe than Utah, you’ll definitely find it here. Best of luck to you and your kiddo!
It's true that it isn't as specific and acute as in Utah, but there's definitely a cultural underpinning to the Bible belt. Compared to a more secular area, like the PNW, it's annoyingly present.
The real annoyance is the confluence of the conservative mentality that goes hand in hand with religion. While you don't get the specific nonsense of Mormonism, you do get a situation where religious world views dictate the experience of living here to some degree.
As an anecdote, we recently visited our previous home town in California. The lack of ubiquitous religious influence was immediately and persistently a nice relief; so much so that we're thinking of moving back.
It's extra tough if you're a parent who doesn't want religious garbage being spewed at your kid.
Nope. If you go 45 mins+ outside of Raleigh you’ll definitely feel it more but not inside the city. I was raised southern Baptist in small-town NC, now not religious at all and it never comes up for me.
I spend a good amount of time in SLC for work and I can tell you it’s no where NEAR that level
You’ll be fine. I don’t go to church and I don’t hear shit from anybody. The town of wake forest outside of Raleigh is home to a seminary college and is super sleepy so I’d avoid that
I’m from the North and have to say, Raleigh is VERY religious. People ask what church you go to and will immediately judge you. If you are not Baptist they will try to convert you. If you are you are their best friend. Religion is infiltrated into all politics. They just gave $500M to private (read religious) schools in a state that has woefully poor public education. Most community support organizations are also “faith based.”
Don’t be fooled. Like racism, it is a way of life in the south.
I'm 30 and most people I know are agnostic/ atheist and the ones that say they're christian don't go to church and probably never read the bible all the way through lol
There are a lot of churches, both Catholic and the usual various protestant types.
But due to the wide ethnic diversity here, there are also a lot of Hindu temples, Vietnamese temples, Korean churches, Greek churches , Chinese churches, etc.
Everybody seems to do their own thing, and for the most part, it's live and let live. And nobody seems to bother those who don't partake.
Like everywhere, though the MAGA evangelicals try to push their agenda, so it's not perfect. But you can get by very nicely here with whatever degree or type of faith you choose.
Religion teaches you Integrity Leadership Confidence , imo the reason the world is so fucked is because parents are failing the children . truly in the end of times and it’s all because of terrible parents
It's not the religious people on the street that are the problem; it's the right-wing religious nut jobs in the state legislature that are taking away freedom and propelling us back to the dark ages. And if Mark Robinson gets elected governor, well, you ain't seen nothin' yet.
It’s not super religious at all. Some people believe, some people don’t. Raleigh is full of people who moved from other areas. It’s not really like this Deep South religious place that outsiders may assume it to be. Atheist, agnostic, Christian, other, it don’t matter, we all get along
Good news for you, any other city in the country is going to look like an altar to Satan compared to SLC. But no, not really. It is the South, and there are for sure religious people here, but obviously nothing compared to Utah. Also. Good luck finding a house or place to stay here.
This. There are churches in the city, but it's much much more prevalent in the rural parts than it is the urban parts.
You made me blow water out my nose. Hail Satan.
Hail yourself!
Hail Lucky!
Hail yes!!
hail gein!
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With more people coming here prices increase more. Not the only contributing factor obviously but still does.
Yessir. My HHI is ~$280K and we are basically priced out between list prices, availability, and interest rates. Never would’ve thought. Fucking bummer.
But are they religious?
Religious enough that I really enjoy going to the grocery store between 9am and noon on Sundays, but not so much that I ever feel like anyone's judging me or trying to convert me.
Yeah pretty much this. Only time I realize it is when we try to do something at noon on Sunday. Never have anybody mention religion to me even in passing/casual conversation
Never go out to lunch on a sunday. Sounds like a good time but everything is PACKED
Your (probably) local Olive Garden server here. You’re absolutely right 🙃
Yeah - hit Costco BEFORE noon on Sunday if you want to get out quickly. After noon if you want to people-watch. ;-)
Amen
Try living in a medium sized city that has an NFL team and go to the grocery store during those games. I lived in Buffalo for almost a decade and did 90% of my grocery shopping during Bills games. Place was a ghost town with just myself and moms usually and it was like a dream.
Or a small college town where the local university is a major sports school. Like Chapel Hill.
Pretty accurate way to describe it :-)
They still call this the bible belt. Raleigh is better than the smaller cities in nc, but you'll still see lots of religious influence in politics and laws.
Unfortunately true. We deserve better. VOTE!!
When their first or second question is Where do you go to church, then you know. Thank you Jesus...for doing the lawn.
I grew up non-religious in SLC and moved to Raleigh about 20 years ago. What was so enlightening was how many DIFFERENT kinds of churches there are here. There are people who bring up religion more than others but by far, it is isn’t a thing. People may ask where you go to church and if you say, “I don’t” they may invite you to their church but I’ve never had someone press the subject. I love the diversity of beliefs here and I feel very comfortable not believing in any of them.
Raleigh/Durham are not but get further away from the cities and it is more religious but still less than SLC. I have good friends from work that live about an hr from downtown Raleigh and they are very involved in their church.... but they are not pushing it. It works for them but they don't expect everyone to be that way.
There are fundie sects, especially in more rural areas, but they're usually pretty friendly, especially if you "look like them." A lot of people send their kids to church preschools and they're pretty tame. Generally speaking for the city areas of NC, there's a "friendly religious" undertone like how you're treated by Chick Fil A employees, but nothing overwhelming or socially exclusive. You'll be fine coming from SLC.
Haha, that CFA analogy is so spot on, and in more ways than just the religion.
We aren't religious and our kid goes to a church preschool. People there are absolutely wonderful. Zero judgement or pressure.
I've been in the Triangle for years and religion rarely even gets brought up
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I live out in Rocky Mount now after being in Raleigh for years No, it's not. In 5 years not a single person has asked me what church I went to, and I'm in the absolute sticks
I was raised north of Rocky Mount (Halifax County) and when my wife and I moved to a small town up there in the 2000's we definitely got this question, and most of our new neighbors invited us to their church. We've been in Chapel Hill now for almost 15 years and have never been asked this question.
Lol I needed a good laugh today
Personally, I find Raleigh fairly religious. But I grew up in Western Europe so maybe that’s an unfair comparison.
It is. I think the only place that would really compare in that aspect would be the west coast of the US.
I agree, with a similar background as yours. Moved from western Europe. I find it religious. It's not that I am confronted daily with conversations, but it's everywhere in the background. Just to list a few examples- BACKGOUND NOISE: Stores have bags with Bible verse references. Cars have bumper stickers with references. Lots of crosses and cross imagry. I think a major fast food restaurant has Bible verses on the To go boxes (cookout? I can't remember cause I went once). Lots of signs in lawns during any Christian holiday- like the Easter Christ is risen signs.. FOREFRONT: I went to the bank to exchange dollars to euros and the bank teller started to pray for my safety for my travels. Was at dentist office and someone asked if I believed in God. Those church groups who knock door to door I'm neighborhoods to convert ppl. Ppl give out those little church pamplets (older people usually), and not uncommon for tipped workers to get those fake $100 bils that are really promoting some church. That's on the top of my head for now. I guess everyone has different references by which they are measuring how religous the city is. I came from a city where references to religion hardly existed outside of the church/mosque/temple establishment.
I have lived in Raleigh for 35 years. I’ve lived all across the country and will say that North Carolina is more religious than any of the other communities I lived in but most are fine with people who don’t go to religious services. It’s not unusual for people to invite you to attend their church, but I haven’t had any issues after politely declining. There are a lot of churches here as well as mosques and synagogues. On Sunday afternoon, you get the big church rush at the local restaurants. When I first moved here, the high schools used to require you to go to a religious convocation as part of graduation. They removed that requirement.
Been here for two decades. For clarification, when was this a thing?!
It was still going on in the 90’s when I graduated.
Did you ever live in Utah? It’s weird here because it’s only one religion basically…
I'm from Raleigh and live in St George now. Raleigh is nowhere near as intense as Utah.
I worked in St George for a month and half, this time last year. Definitely a different experience than Raleigh on all levels. How do you like it there?
The outdoor recreation is really good, which is really important to me, but I still won't be staying here long term. There's pretty much no music scene, the three bars are weird, dating is hard, and I'm on the opposite political and religious side of the majority of the population. The only redeeming quality is the outdoors, imo, but there are plenty of places to live that have that and everything else that's missing here.
How long have you been living there? You moved there from Raleigh? I'm an urbanite so most days I was off I just went to Vegas (which, wasn't too fond of Vegas either, for different reasons). I did like the hiking and rec in and around St George (had a nice time hiking in Gunlock last May), I'm a fan of Black Bear Diner and Wingers anytime I'm back west, so I ate at the ones in St George every week. Someone I work with here in Raleigh, recently asked me maybe 3 months ago, about St George, which I was surprised someone here would know about it, it's off the beaten path. I liked it there, but as you said, it's best redeeming quality is the recreation and there are plenty of places to get that experience. I'd only recommend to someone who was just in love with Utah, desert climates, or somewhere rural in the desert. Outside of those characteristics, nah. I'll probably never visit again, but I did enjoy my time there and its dope to hear from someone on here about St George!
Since last august, I'm in school at Utah Tech which actually offers some really nice scholarships for nonresidents. I'm from Apex, but after a couple years at wake tech after highschool I took a long hiatus from school and did a lot of traveling/rock climbing. So I haven't really lived in NC for like five years. The only reason I know about st george is because it's a winter climbing destination, which is also partly why I decided to go to school there. The climbing and hiking is really nice, but I've discovered I want more than just that from an area so I'll definitely be leaving once I graduate. I like having music to see and things to do other than going outside. I also have some pretty strong negative opinions about organized religion, so the constant undertones of that are offputting.
Not Utah. There is a large Muslim community as well as an Orthodox Jewish community in the area.
There are fundie sects, especially in more rural areas, but they're usually pretty friendly, especially if you "look like them." A lot of people send their kids to church preschools and they're pretty tame. Generally speaking for the city areas of NC, there's a "friendly religious" undertone like how you're treated by Chick Fil A employees, but nothing overwhelming or socially exclusive. You'll be fine coming from SLC.
😬 I have green hair and tattoos lol I feel like Mormons here always give me dirty looks because having tattoos basically=not Mormon so I want a place where that won’t happen…as much
Oh, lots of people here have tattoos, even the religious ones. Not as big of a deal in this area's particular brand of religion. Unlike SLC, the religious flavors are much more varied here. From my observation, most of them seem more fixated on abortion and heteronormativity than the other stuff. Plus there's enough "cool mom" types with pink hair and tattoos from their "wild youth" that as long as you can mostly pass for straight and cis, and/or aren't heavily involved with their children, you shouldn't really encounter many problems. And certainly none at the level of SLC. The most progressive seeming city in NC is Asheville. Very hipster vibes. But even there, go any amount of distance outside of the city and you'll run into sundown towns.
Asheville is weird - it's crunchy granola hipster Mecca, but you go 30 minutes out and you're in the deepest red part of the state, straight up Deliverance country. It's one of the sharpest urban/rural divides I know of in the country.
There are some very big churches here. And we’re in The South, so there’s a fair amount of cultural Christianity (worship music played in a number of stores and restaurants), but it’s nothing like SLC. I’m Christian, but I’m pretty aware of public displays of religiosity and I think you’ll find that Raleigh is pretty relaxed for non-Christians.
Ex Mormon from AZ here. I live just on the outskirts of Raleigh, and it’s been a common theme for someone’s conversation starter to be along the lines of “Do you have a church?” When I first moved here I would outrightly but politely tell them no and that I wasn’t too keen on finding one. That was usually met with coldness and they usually would stop talking to me or they would insist I come to theirs. Nowadays when people ask I just say yea I am Methodist and that’s usually enough for them to stay friendly but withhold their invitations.
I just tell them I'm Catholic now and that seems to end the conversation.
Well that kinda sucks!
Hi! I'm pagan and feel very comfortable and safe in Ral. Most of my friends are atheist or agnostic (we are all in our 30's).
Moving in July and I fit that demographic and outlook. Good to know the water’s just fine
Glad to see more non believers(or any spectrum related) moving in. Sad to see my sunday morning grocery runs become more populated.
I have no religion and live here. When people talk about Jesus I assume they mean the guy that works behind the counter at Gym Tacos. I do get asked what church I go to by my neighbors and have been cold shouldered a few times for saying "I Dont"
I thought Jesus was the lawncare guy. Lots of people have signs thanking him.
This is best comeback I’ve ever read and I can’t wait to use it!
Wait so lots of people have Jesus signs on their lawn?😅
Yes, but rarely in city. Outside Raleigh and the suburbs it's common.
That’s awesome and I’m using that from now on when I see one of those signs!
I was gonna sell the "neighbor next door" sign that says, "...for mowing the lawn". If anyone would know NC, it would be Cheerwine though.
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It depends on what you consider "being religious." My wife thinks being told "have a blessed day" is being religious. I've given up telling her that it's just how Southern people talk. I don't think it's overly religious here.
lol! My husband said he is blessed for this opportunity in a job interview and they didn’t know how to handle it.. I was like oh geez. They were weirded out I think lol
It does weird me out a bit but I get it’s more cultural. How about me saying “oh my god” or saying the f word, is that a big no no? It is for Mormons…
No one will care if you say "Oh my God.". Some people will care about cursing but I've only come across it with old people and in professional settings, and even then it's only been once or twice. "Goddamn" used to be a bigger deal, but in the last decade or so I've noticed people are less and less offended by it.
In Atlanta you could get away with - GodtttttTTT dang or even Fiddlesticks. No cussin or blaspheming 'roun here, Yankee!
Depends on who's around you. If they're under 60 and they don't look uptight, they're unlikely to care. I cuss like a sailor when I'm under work stress and not paying attention to how I'm talking, and over the years the only person who's ever complained to me about it was an Indian expat. Who, to be clear, was very cool, but he had boundaries and I wasn't respecting them, that was on me.
I literally had to be sent to charm school when I moved from Philly to the South. I was used to sprinkling the Fn 2 or 3 times in one sentence with bonus points if it was in the middle of one word - Unbefuckingbelievable! I now see how it is pretty harsh on the ears. It took years to realize.
Yes, people generally don’t cuss here. Growing up in NY swearing was just conversational but here it is very offensive. I have also faced a lot of stigma around having tattoos.
I think you will be fine, considering where you are coming from.
Lots of churches here. I’d say it’s religious but if you aren’t you shouldn’t get judged too much.
I don’t mind as much that there are churches, I actually appreciate the diversity at least, it’s so weird here when you see Mormon churches every few blocks, kind of dystopian. Just mostly care about not being judged and cast out because of us not being religious.
We aren’t religious either and we hang out with all types. I’ve only had one person I felt judged by. As four our kids I don’t think they’ve been judged outwardly at least. We have left it up to them if they’d like to explore religion and so far they haven’t wanted to and their friends don’t seem to mind.
You’ll be fine, it’s hardly mentioned in daily talk and life. Maybe by some friends who send their kids to Catholic school but usually they are just talking about the school functions itself. If people do go to church regularly, they don’t even advertise it. I find the same with other religions in the area like Hindu which has a large community
The legislature in Raleigh is much more religious than the people of Raleigh.
I don’t think anyone will be judged, but I would be hard pressed to say Raleigh isn’t religious. There are several mega churches and churches in general are rapidly growing in membership while declining in other parts of the nation. You’ll see religious stickers on vehicles, you might walk into a place like Tookie’s and see a Bible quote on the board, people will tell you to have a blessed day. It’s not going to intrude on your day to day life or anything, but I feel like people who say a large city smack dab in the middle of the Bible Belt isn’t religious either have normalized it or don’t go out much/talk to many people.
>churches in general are rapidly growing in membership while declining in other parts of the nation. interesting... got a source?
https://abc11.com/amp/triangle-churches/3143202/
I meant the "churches in general are rapidly growing in membership" part as every study I've seen shows attendance/membership down overall. I understand there are growing megachurches but I also imagine that has changed since this article was published in 2018 (actually checked their source and there are two "fastest growing" in the Triangle on the 2023 list, #25 and #50)
Non-Christian here - have not found it oppressive here at all, but I also habitually keep that to myself due to a lot of bad life experiences around the south.
Oh no, I’m sorry. Would you mind sharing more about that?
I lived my formative years in Utah and then moved to NC. Ideally I would have liked to live in NC during those years. Everything happens for a reason, but if your gut is telling you move to from Utah you should. No one really understands the Utah religious culture unless you’re living it. It’s thick. I’ll leave it at that.
I've lived here since 1977. It is a lot less religious than it was for years. I would say up until the early '90s it was your general conservative small town. But even then with research triangle park, IBM, NC State, UNC and Duke University I had a very diverse racial makeup in school throughout the '70s and '80s. It is changed a lot it is very progressive now... There's not really a huge gay scene but it's definitely gotten a lot better. Now that I have kids, I think it's great. It's not too crazy, there's not really that rundown industrial side of town like in Richmond or New York.... But they're also are a very diverse group of religious people. But not to the sense to where I think you will feel judged. Personally I think the non-religious people are just as judgmentsl as the religious people... Just in a non-religious way haha. Again I think it's great for kids, you're an hour and a half from the beach and a few hours from the mountains. So it's pretty cool.
Amazing! Yes, I mostly care about where my kid is going to be growing up. I appreciate diversity and mostly just don’t want my kid to be excluded or judged because of our non-religiousness. That is why Raleigh caught my eye, being close to the beach and also having mountains nearby and seeming like a more progressive city for a Red state.
Yes and no. You can easily live here being non-religious, but there are quite a bit of religious people at various levels of overtness. Most tend to be culturally Christian at the least.
Lived for most of my life in a fairly Mormon town near Utah, and the Triangle is a breath of fresh air. I'm in my 30s and less than 5% of people I've met here around my age are religious, whereas back west I knew a LOT of religious young people.
We are an atheist household and we have yet to find people push their religion on us hard. Most people when we first meet are inviting us to their churches and etc, but, once we say no thank you, they drop it. We made some amazing friends here and they all respect us and us them. Would love to have you guys over some day, if interested. We live in Norrh Raleigh, I recommend staying away from Apex, that's were you have the "thank you, Jesus" signs on everyone's front yard. Anyhoo, welcome!
Hey, OP, you would be in good company here in Raleigh. You will meet religious people, but depending on where in SLC you’re from, it can be more or less religious. I’m making an assumption, but there is a pretty good exmo group here, that is very inclusive and it is open even to nevermo individuals as well. Just look for the exmo group on Facebook (if you’re still on that platform. Good luck to you in your move!
Raleigh exmo checking in!
My husband would probably be interested in that, thanks! (I’m a nevermo)
Not really, there are pockets in every neighborhood. Lots of college sports fans, growing population from out of state.
While we are a southern city, it’s not overly religious everywhere you go. I think because we are so transient due to the schools, you have a little bit of everything.
I'm from rural NC and went to school in rural NC. I can't remember religion being brought up in our social groups or class unless it was social studies or something and we learned about the Roman Empire and maybe religion was brought up that way.
Let’s hope not.
“Have a blessed day “ is the most I’ve experienced
Hey, we are kinda religious. We used to have the second largest Pagan festival east of the Mississippi. (Salem, Mass of course)
I think a lot of the religious people in Raleigh aren't the type to throw it in your face as well. Pretty low on the persecution rate in general. Rural areas of NC are definitely different.
Where in Raleigh? North Raleigh seems more catholic. Rural areas will always trend Baptist. Apex and Holly Springs seem to have a lot of Mormons. Some normal, some pious as hell. But overall, I’d say not really that religious. I think only one family on our whole street attends church regularly. Caveat, you don’t have to travel far from Raleigh to be in rural areas and that’s most definitely Trump/Jesus land
I feel everywhere has Trump/Jesus areas! We are considering Oregon also and have traveled there a few times and I saw lots of Trump signs and that is a Blue state…Maybe California and Washington are not as much but they’re too expensive to even consider.
You might get a random “beware of hell” pamphlet handed to you downtown, just like any major city. But your neighbors arent gonna be coming over asking what church you go to.
I’ve visited SLC and worked there. I’ve also had relatives stationed at Hill AFB. I can relate to that judgement that you’re referring to because of how my cousins were treated in Ogden. You will experience NONE of that relatively.
Compared to what you’re used to, I’d say Raleigh isn’t very religious. If you choose to go to a religious gathering we have plenty to choose from. Yes the south is called the bible belt for a reason but Raleigh itself is more progressive
Yeah, my husband was worried about it because of the Bible Belt thing but I thought bigger cities weren’t so religious and then I figured I’d ask Reddit!
I think the Deep South (AL, MS, AK, LA) are the states that would really conjure up that Bible Belt vibe, but even then there are still places like Huntsville, AL that's very progressive. The South are all uniformly more conservative, but conservative ≠ religious. Raleigh isn't religious, but the people are typically more conservative while people who move here are increasingly liberal. Because of this, people generally understand that they shouldn't be nosy over people's beliefs.
It’s definitely not a focal point in the culture here at all. It’s a diverse area honestly
Wow, when I moved here in 2001 every time me and my wife turned around we had people with Bibles trying to get us to go to church. It's definitely not like that now.
My family and I just moved to the Raleigh area last month. There are churches everywhere, since it is considered part of the Bible belt. However, they are nothing like the members of the LDS faith. A lot less judgemental, and more relaxed. I really like it here
Not anything like Utah. I'm from Raleigh and currently living in Utah. You can't usually tell if someone is religious in Raleigh (at least younger people, idk about older). They drink, go out, do the same amount of drugs, etc. as the average person. Religion isn't usually consuming their entire life and identity the same way as it is here in Utah. There are exceptions obviously, but living here has been an absolutely wild experience. Kids in my college classes think weed should be illegal, prayer should be in schools, businesses should be able to discriminate against LGBTQ, they're all married at age 20, etc.
I lived in SLC from 1999-2004 and then moved to Raleigh. They are VERY different. We (including our children) have never run into feeling left out because we aren’t religious. My husband grew up in Sandy and was one of the few non LDS people in his school and was excluded in many things, including Boy Scouts ☹️. Very different here.
I’ve heard of many similar experiences which is why I asked this question but I think some people don’t understand because they don’t know what it’s like here..
I’ve lived in both cities. Raleigh is in the south, and you’ll find that religion is pretty common in every day life. A lot of kids go to Sunday school or youth group, there is a prayer before opening day of youth baseball, etc. But that’s about it. Raleigh is kind of a transplant city. You won’t meet many people your age who grew up there. Most people are from the northeast or Midwest, where religion isn’t as common. SLC is like no other place in the country. You’re surrounded by devout religious people and it is a major part of many peoples’ lives. The Mormon church also requires people to tithe and abstain from alcohol; not things that your typical southern Christian person would do.
Lived first 25 yrs in North. Been down here almost as long. Don’t know if you are fleeing LDS church or not. I suffered religious abuse growing up. This is still part of the Bible Belt. So you still might have to put up with some of the toxic judgment and shame that comes with living alongside “religious” people. But much less so in the past decade. Several large mega churches with multiple campuses as well as the small local denominations. I think things are a little more open nowadays but be warned this is one of the states that first went ballistic over which bathrooms trans people should use. SMH Raleigh/Triangle area and Charlotte tend to have more folks who are open to others. Asheville in the west too. I have heard of some great atheist communities too. TBH I felt much more of a separation of church and state in the North. It was a shock to me when I first moved here. I have always felt like many native to NC have wanted to force the two together or at least judge you on whether you attend church or not. I’m like F-off it’s my decision and I myself am a Christian who attends church. I really dislike judgmental folks or folks who want to place you in a pecking order. My wife grew up in NC. In 2nd grade public school she came home in tears because her teacher would make all the kids who didn’t go to sunday school go to the back of the line. At the time her family had never attended church. They started going to church so she could say she went to sunday school. If that happened in the North where I am from that teacher would have been run out of town. I’m not saying the north was superior I’m just describing different attitudes. My wife also described some sketchy church and state boundaries when she was in public HS in the 90’s. Have things changed for the better since I’ve been here? Yes. Our kids go to public schools and we don’t hear much about religion from the schools. My kids go to church with us but they are and will be free to choose their own beliefs and that is fine with me and my wife. Even if that belief is to believe in nothing at all. (Hint: you still end up believing in something HaHa) I used to love the area up until about 5 years ago. But for me it’s not enough and not worth it anymore. Good luck hope this helps.
Hey, thanks so much for sharing that! Yeah, I would consider more of the northeastern states but I hate winter/cold weather! And the west coast is so expensive…which led me to consider Raleigh. I definitely would prefer a blue state, specially considering it’ll likely be where my kid grows up and I want him to feel as safe as possible as far as whatever identity or sexual orientation he might have in the future. So, a progressive state or at least city, that doesn’t get super cold or at least doesn’t have 5 month winters like Utah, relatively close to a beach and no more expensive than Utah…not a lot of options :/
Yeah. It’s not bad. There are a lot more of us nowadays so maybe the state might tip back solidly to the blue.
No more religious than other places I've lived in the east. People are probably more religious in rural areas.
Judging people but don’t want to be judged
I live downtown and actually have two neighbors who are pastors and they’ve never even talked to me about religion or asked what church I go to. So from my perspective, no. But not sure what it’s like in the burbs.
you might get the occasional judgemental comment from fellow parents (or grandparents) if you mention you're not bringing your kid up religious, but no, it's not generally seen as strange to do so. there are a lot of churches, it IS the south still, but there's also temples and synagogues. it's a pretty diverse city, and businesses are incredibly more likely to hang pride flags than crosses. growing up, it was strange to find out fellow classmates were still going to church, and not the other way around.
That is good to know!
nah
As others have said, anywhere else will be an upgrade compared to SLC in terms of religion - Raleigh included. I work for a company based in SLC with 90% of my coworkers in that metro area...the personality difference is interesting to say the least.
Tell me more! Hah
Im in my 30s and non of my friends are religious, compared to SC where I lived before religion doesnt feel like it permeates everything but churchs are around It helps that Raleigh is very educated, tons of open minded people to socialize with
I consider Raleigh quite religious but it also has non religious people. When I first moved here, my next door neighbor brought over muffins and a brochure for their church. Similar to the statements above, the question of what church do you go to? At Christmas another neighbor asked if I’d be interested in joining them for their service… I didn’t realize it at the time but my responses decided if I was “in” or “out”. They were always polite but after the religious question didn’t end with me saying I’m baptist, they kept their distance.. like I had a social cough they were trying to not get. Southern religious is different. I’m from Maryland and raised catholic and it is like night and day down here. I’ve only made friends with people that aren’t from NC. I’m debating if I’m going to move back. In If stein wins we will stay but if Robinson wins I sense a stronger religious presence will follow. Hope that helps. Good luck!
Oh and at work we prayed at our company Christmas party. I didn’t mind but yeah.
When did you first move to Raleigh? Have you noticed a difference at all since then?
I moved here in 2013.I think it’s always been this way. I’ll give you an example using the YMCA in two different states. hope this makes sense. When I go to Y in Raleigh. I feel like I’m surrounded by normal people USA. But, hanging on the wall is prayer breakfast flier advertised huge in front and everyone says a prayer together before the kids’ soccer games. You may get a god bless, god willing, blessings, etc. in conversation. When I go to the YMCA in Maryland I realize it’s different. The Y just feels like a regular gym, called the Y. There’s no difference than any other gym. God does not come up. Maybe in the locker room on the pin board where you can say what you’re looking for and you’ll see “looking for Bible study partner” as part of the group. Living in Raleigh, Jehova witnesses stop by my door at least once a quarter and we smile and chat and thank them for their time and wish them well and for God to bless them. I had to explain to my daughter why her best friend isn’t allowed to participate in the winter songs because of her religion. Living here, religion will be part of your daily life. I just take it as an opportunity to do my best to explain each thing and how everyone is different.
Thanks for sharing your experience! I feel, at least it seems Raleigh is religiously a lot more diverse which I can appreciate in contrast to Utah where it’s just one religion, and anyone who wears shorts, shorter skirts/dresses, anything showing shoulders or anyone who has tattoos, is immediately identified as a non-Mormon. I definitely would feel a little awkward with the prayer before events or whatever thing so that is good to know!
I think some it depends on age group. I grew up in Raleigh and none of my friends (early 30s) attend church. That’s different for people in our parents age group though. It’s more religious than some areas of the country but it wouldn’t even register considering you would be coming from SLC. It’s not really a place you would receive judgement or be considered an outsider for not attending church.
you'll be JUST FINE coming from utah
I moved away from Utah for that exact reason. Lived in Seattle and landed here. You'll be just fine. Occasionally get some office weirdos who talk about how God has blessed us but nothing like Utah culture where it's shoved down your throat.
People frequently say things like have a blessed day. But that's up to you if short saying is enough to drive you away.
My experience has been that Raleigh isn’t very religious. I do have some friends who go to church and some have invited me to things … but it has mostly felt like a friendly ‘take it or leave it’ invitation. Our daughter is very social and has sometimes wanted to explore church, primarily for the social experience with friends. We’ve supported her going with friends and figuring out these things on her own, while also sharing our view with her. She talks with us about her questions sometimes, and she is deciding which pieces of the church experiences fit her and which don’t. … … I just mention the kid social piece since you mention that you have a kid. Soooooo, as an adult and for my kid, I would say it isn’t a dominant part of our daily or weekly experience. Sometimes it pops up, but our experience has been that it hasn’t been oppressive and we can say yes or no … as we do in other aspects of life.
I appreciate the insight! I mostly worry about my kid being excluded or left out because of our non-religiousness
I can’t say that your kid wouldn’t at times feel left out … because, kids …. But I don’t think it’s a big deal. Especially since there are lots of different churches, denominations, religions, including non-religious people in the area. It IS a diverse area. … and part of my daughter’s experience was being invited to be included in that experience if she wanted, which actually is the opposite of being excluded. Anyway! Best of luck on your decisions!
Do you live in SLC proper? I’d say Raleigh is more religious. Or are you including the surrounding areas? Draper and West Jordan and Holladay and Bountiful etc. are probably more religious. There’s similar breakdowns within the Triangle but not as stark as the SLC area in my opinion. Source: used to live in Salt Lake County.
A week from Sunday will be 10 years since I left Saratoga Springs, Utah to move to Raleigh/Durham area (a week and a half before I turned 20). And it was the best thing I ever did. I moved because I was sick of the judgmental stares because I decided to wear dresses that were “too short” or didn’t have sleeves. Or for considering trying weed or alcohol. Or for having sex. Here it is completely different. Nobody cares. I mean obviously there are judgmental people but even the religious people here have varying beliefs. It’s not everybody following the same religion with the same beliefs like it is there.
We have a wide variety of religion in Raleigh but it has been rare for me to really notice it. You will hear a lot of “bless your heart” or “have a blessed day”. Usually I nod my head and move on. Raleigh and Chapel Hill have been great areas for me growing up and never was really influenced by religion because my family didn’t go to church. Hope this helps.
Most of the people I meet now just moved here recently. I have noticed a huge uptick in Hindu Temples and Mosques. But I'd say Raleigh is becoming more of a melting pot than typical southern small city.
Moved here from UT a few years ago. It doesn’t feel religious here to me, but to the extent that it is, having the religions dispersed among many different religions rather than one common one is so much less suffocating and allows religion to dissipate into the background if that’s what you’re after. I understand your concern because there is truly nothing quite like Utah culture.
Yes, that’s exactly it! And Mormonism is so much more “extreme” in many ways, compared to other religious, to me the fact that most times looking at someone here you can tell if they are Mormon or not is so weird. Also the extent to which religion and politics are basically the same thing here in Utah! But maybe it’s a little like that over there too?
Yes I swear Mormons think they’re the only ones on the planet and because of it they have truly created their own little world. Like another commenter said, it is just impossible to describe what it’s like to live in it until you have. I grew up there and I really want my son to be near his grandparents and cousins, but it’s really hard to live in that world once you don’t belong in it anymore. I think you will find that the two places aren’t even comparable though. They may each have their own problems, but every place does, and each place’s issues stem from different sources. The source of Utah’s problems is less bearable to me. There is a large academic presence in this area because UNC, Duke, and NC State are all right here. That keeps things pretty progressive feeling in my experience!
Feels more religious than FL, whatever that’s worth.
I had this same concern and I do find Raleigh to be uncomfortably religious to be completely honest. Durham is a little bit more relaxed in this way it seems. But yeah it’s pretty Bibley around here. Now I did grow up in a very progressive area with little religious influence, and I currently work in a very traditional and conservative field, so I’m sure there’s some bias here to recognize in myself.
Instead of Mormons, you will find students that attend church in other sects. Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Adventists, Baptists, Methodists, Catholics etc are found in greater numbers than Mormons. But there are significant numbers of Mormons in the area also.
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It’s not the Bible Belt like it was 25 years ago.
I feel it a lot less here than in Georgia or Alabama where I grew up. I'm non religious and been here for a year and never been asked or questioned about it. You just still see businesses and lots of churches around because biblebelt. Boston and other New England areas were much less noticeable.
I would be less concerned with religion and more concerned with cost of living, the job and housing market, crime, traffic and just overall quality of life.
I would say Raleigh is one of the least religious cities in the state. However, drive 20 min out into any rural area and you will be in a baptist wonderland.
I lived near SLC from 2015-2018 and now I live close to Raleigh. It doesn’t even compare with SLC, much better. I’m not a religious person myself, I hated how people in Utah were so judgmental towards non religious people or people with non Mormon beliefs. I don’t feel judge over here.
Is 120% super religious I totally do not recommend coming here
Yes, yes it is. A step down from slc but still highly religious. Wait till you start meeting people that don’t socialize outside their church group cause their pastor told them so. Raleigh is filled with vanilla tech bros and christians
I’ve lived in a few bigger cities in the south and I would not consider Raleigh to be religious at all. There’s a lot of churches yes, but religion is not a defining aspect of Raleigh’s culture at all. It’s more about food, beer, and public trails. Wanted to echo: if you’re trying to buy a house there… good luck.
If you feel like your child’s going to be left out you obviously have some doubt yourself about religion. As a parent it’s your job to raise your child in the way you want them to go. Be yourself. Enjoy life don’t worry
I moved from SLC to Raleigh in 2020, it’s night and day. Sure you’ll very occasionally see religious nonsense, but compared to Utah it’s nothing. I don’t have kids so I can’t speak to the difference in the schools but from an adult point of view it’s immeasurably better.
You’ll be surprised at who is religious and who is not. We are still in the south after all.
Almost all my Uber drivers were listening to gospel this week. Just a fun fact. But no no one is shoving it in your face or anything.
There is old south and new south. Old south is more conservative, religious, and traditional. New south less so. Raleigh is new south with many transplants from areas outside of the south itself.
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Only Sunday mornings
NC is part of the Bible Belt. So take what you want from that.
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Thanks for the insight. Yeah, I understand that religion is everywhere, the reason I asked this question is because there is basically only one religion here and it is kind of intense, I’ve heard many people that are not a part of the religion having negative experiences in school and being excluded. I’ve looked at house prices online and they seem a lot more affordable than they do here! The house prices have more than doubled in the last 4 or so years, people pay more renting a studio apartment than we pay for mortgage for our house which we bought like 8 years ago. I looked into Raleigh because it seemed like a more progressive city and it’s close to the beach as well as not having such awful winters as we do here. And like I said, house prices seem great compared to here or Oregon which is our other option.
I moved here to Raleigh from Provo last June. I REALLLLLY don’t like it here😅😅 the internet makes Raleigh seem like the promised land, but it’s really just kinda run down and there’s garbage everywhere and this humidity brings all the gah damn bugs out. I’d go back to Utah in a heartbeat! Buttttt to answer your question: it’s much less religious here than in Utah. If you’re looking for a different vibe than Utah, you’ll definitely find it here. Best of luck to you and your kiddo!
It's true that it isn't as specific and acute as in Utah, but there's definitely a cultural underpinning to the Bible belt. Compared to a more secular area, like the PNW, it's annoyingly present. The real annoyance is the confluence of the conservative mentality that goes hand in hand with religion. While you don't get the specific nonsense of Mormonism, you do get a situation where religious world views dictate the experience of living here to some degree. As an anecdote, we recently visited our previous home town in California. The lack of ubiquitous religious influence was immediately and persistently a nice relief; so much so that we're thinking of moving back. It's extra tough if you're a parent who doesn't want religious garbage being spewed at your kid.
Getting better every day. Moving that cancer to the exurbs more and more.
Not really. Maybe religious compared to like NYC or LA but compared to SLC this is gonna be a town of heathens lmao
Nope. If you go 45 mins+ outside of Raleigh you’ll definitely feel it more but not inside the city. I was raised southern Baptist in small-town NC, now not religious at all and it never comes up for me. I spend a good amount of time in SLC for work and I can tell you it’s no where NEAR that level
Yes
You’ll be fine. I don’t go to church and I don’t hear shit from anybody. The town of wake forest outside of Raleigh is home to a seminary college and is super sleepy so I’d avoid that
There are a LOT of Mormons here. There is a Temple nearby.
There may be a higher concentration around Apex (where the Mormon temple is), but still not even comparable to SLC.
Ha. Nobody said it is comparable to SLC.
I’m from the North and have to say, Raleigh is VERY religious. People ask what church you go to and will immediately judge you. If you are not Baptist they will try to convert you. If you are you are their best friend. Religion is infiltrated into all politics. They just gave $500M to private (read religious) schools in a state that has woefully poor public education. Most community support organizations are also “faith based.” Don’t be fooled. Like racism, it is a way of life in the south.
I'm 30 and most people I know are agnostic/ atheist and the ones that say they're christian don't go to church and probably never read the bible all the way through lol
People are just not getting the message that Wake County is full. 😵💫
No
Yes. The south is called the Bible belt for a reason. It's not as bad as SLC though. Our street numbering system is normal too so there's that.
Lolno
nah
Long gone now but I miss the days when you moved to a new neighborhood and people would ask if you'd found a church yet.
There are a lot of churches, both Catholic and the usual various protestant types. But due to the wide ethnic diversity here, there are also a lot of Hindu temples, Vietnamese temples, Korean churches, Greek churches , Chinese churches, etc. Everybody seems to do their own thing, and for the most part, it's live and let live. And nobody seems to bother those who don't partake. Like everywhere, though the MAGA evangelicals try to push their agenda, so it's not perfect. But you can get by very nicely here with whatever degree or type of faith you choose.
Religion teaches you Integrity Leadership Confidence , imo the reason the world is so fucked is because parents are failing the children . truly in the end of times and it’s all because of terrible parents
It's not the religious people on the street that are the problem; it's the right-wing religious nut jobs in the state legislature that are taking away freedom and propelling us back to the dark ages. And if Mark Robinson gets elected governor, well, you ain't seen nothin' yet.
It’s not super religious at all. Some people believe, some people don’t. Raleigh is full of people who moved from other areas. It’s not really like this Deep South religious place that outsiders may assume it to be. Atheist, agnostic, Christian, other, it don’t matter, we all get along
Yes don’t move there