Editing Wilkes County, North Carolina (section)

===Religion===
Since colonial times Wilkes County has been overwhelmingly [[Protestant]] Christian. The two earliest churches to be established in Wilkes were the [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopalian]] and [[Presbyterian]]. However, by the 1850s the [[Southern Baptists]] had eclipsed them, and the Baptists have remained the dominant church in Wilkes.<ref name="thearda.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/c/37/rcms2010_37193_county_name_2010.asp|title=The Association of Religion Data Archives {{!}} Maps & Reports|website=www.thearda.com|access-date=March 17, 2018}}</ref> The county also contains a significant number of [[Methodist]], Presbyterian, Episcopalian, and non-denominational [[Evangelical Protestant]] congregations.<ref name="thearda.com"/> Historically, few [[Roman Catholics]] lived in Wilkes, but recent immigration from other U.S. States and especially by people of [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]] descent has increased their numbers. Wilkes County has a single Catholic parish, Saint John Baptist de LaSalle Catholic Church in North Wilkesboro, which serves all the Catholics of Wilkes County.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/c/37/rcms2010_37193_county_name_1980_ON.asp|title=The Association of Religion Data Archives {{!}} Maps & Reports|website=www.thearda.com|access-date=March 17, 2018}}</ref> In contrast, relatively few [[Jews]] or members of other non-Christian faiths have settled in the county.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>