Editing Montgomery County, Maryland (section)

==Culture==
[[File:Takoma Park Seventh-day Adventist Church.JPG|thumb|Takoma Park Seventh-day Adventist Church]]

===Religion===
Montgomery County is religiously diverse. In 2010, Montgomery County's population, according to the [[Association of Religion Data Archives]], was 13% [[Catholic]], 5% [[Baptist]], 4% [[Evangelical Protestant]], 3% [[American Jews|Jewish]], 3% [[Methodist]]/[[Pietist]], 2% [[Adventist]], 2% [[Presbyterian]], 1% [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopalian]]/[[Anglican]], 1% [[Mormon]], 1% [[Muslim]], 1% [[Lutheran]], 1% [[Eastern Orthodox]], 1% [[Pentecostal]], 1% [[Buddhist]], and 1% [[Hindu]].<ref>{{cite web |title=County Membership Report: Montgomery County, Maryland: Religious Traditions, 2010 |work=[[Association of Religion Data Archives]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028183432/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/c/24/rcms2010_24031_county_name_2010.asp |archive-date=October 28, 2014 |url-status=dead |url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/c/24/rcms2010_24031_county_name_2010.asp}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|These figures count adherents, meaning all full members, their children, and others who regularly attend services. In all of Montgomery County, 40% of the population is adherent to any particular religion.|group=N}}

In 2020, Montgomery County's congregation members, according to the Association of Religion Data Archives, was 27.7% [[Catholic Church|Catholic]], 8.7% [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical Protestant]], 6.1% [[Mainline Protestant]], 3.1% [[Muslims|Muslim]], 2.5% [[Jews|Jewish]], 1.2% [[Latter Day Saint movement|Latter Day Saints]], 1.1% [[Hindus]], 0.8% [[Buddhism|Buddhist]], 0.8% [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christian]], 0.7% [[Jehovah's Witnesses|Jehovah's Witness]], 0.4% [[Black church|Black Protestant]], 0.3% Other [[Christians|Christian]], and 0.1% Other.

Montgomery County was named the most religiously diverse county in the United States in 2023 by the [[Public Religion Research Institute]]'s census.<ref name=":0" /> Counties were given a diversity index between 0 and 1, with 0 signifying no diversity, and 1 signifying complete diversity. Montgomery County earned a .886, higher than the national average of .615.

The [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]] maintains its [[General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists|General Conference]] headquarters in Silver Spring in Montgomery County.<ref>{{cite web |title=Contact |work=Seventh-Day Adventist Church |access-date=August 24, 2014 |url=http://www.adventist.org/utility/contact/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140831224448/http://www.adventist.org/utility/contact/ |archive-date=August 31, 2014 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

According to the 2020 [[Association of Religion Data Archives|ARDA]] census, there are 776 religious congregations. Their tradition and adherents are listed below, however not all religious bodies reported their adherents, so they are estimates.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Tradition
!Congregations
!Adherents
|-
|[[Black church|Black Protestant]]
|19
|4,102
|-
|[[Buddhism|Buddhist]]
|20
|8,489
|-
|[[Catholic Church|Catholic]]
|40
|293,819
|-
|[[Evangelicalism|Evangelical Protestant]]
|504
|92,292
|-
|[[Hinduism|Hindu]]
|18
|11,493
|-
|[[Islam]]
|12
|33,394
|-
|[[Jehovah's Witnesses|Jehovah's Witness]]
|29
|7,442
|-
|[[Judaism]]
|47
|26,465
|-
|[[Latter Day Saint movement|Latter Day Saints]]
|21
|12,390
|-
|[[Mainline Protestant|Mainline Protestants]]
|171
|64,508
|-
|[[Eastern Orthodoxy|Orthodox Christians]]
|19
|8,374
|-
|Others ([[Jainism|Jain]], [[Sikhism|Sikh]], [[Baháʼí Faith|Baha'i]], [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]])
|16
|978
|-
|Other [[Christians]]
|13
|3,226
|}
{{expand section|date=June 2013}}

===Sports===
The county was home to the [[National Women's Soccer League]] team [[Washington Spirit]], a professional soccer team that played its home games at the [[Maryland SoccerPlex]] sports complex in Boyds.<ref name="spirit">{{cite web|url=http://www.mdsoccerplex.org/aboutus/mdsoccerplex/857704.html|title=Maryland Soccerplex History|publisher=Maryland Soccer Foundation|date=May 6, 2000|access-date=August 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609035021/http://www.mdsoccerplex.org/aboutus/mdsoccerplex/857704.html|archive-date=June 9, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2021, the Spirit will play its seven home games at [[Audi Field]], in Washington, D.C., and five home games at [[Segra Field]] in Leesburg, Virginia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dcunited.com/post/2019/11/12/washington-spirit-extends-partnership-dc-united-and-loudoun-united-fc-host-four|title=Washington Spirit extends partnership with D.C. United and Loudoun United FC to host four matches at Audi Field in addition to four games at Segra Field in 2020|publisher=D.C. United|date=November 12, 2019|access-date=July 26, 2020|archive-date=December 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210045659/https://www.dcunited.com/post/2019/11/12/washington-spirit-extends-partnership-dc-united-and-loudoun-united-fc-host-four|url-status=live}}</ref> Starting in 2022, the team began to play games at Audi Field.

Bethesda's [[Congressional Country Club]] has hosted four Major Championships, including three playings of the [[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]], most recently in 2011 which was won by [[Rory McIlroy]]. The Club also hosts the [[Quicken Loans National]], an annual event on the [[PGA Tour]] which benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation. Previously, neighboring [[TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm|TPC at Avenel]] hosted the [[Booz Allen Classic]].

The award-winning Members Club at Four Streams is located on a former farm in Beallsville, Maryland.

The [[Bethesda Big Train]], [[Rockville Express]], and [[Silver Spring–Takoma Thunderbolts]] all play college level wooden bat baseball in the [[Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League]].

Montgomery County is home of the Montgomery County Swim League, a youth (ages 4–18) competitive swimming league composed of ninety teams based at community pools throughout the county.

The King Farm Park in Rockville, open and accessible 24/7 without cost, provides a first-class 16-station Bankshot Playcourt, the Home Court for the Rockville based Bankshot Sports Organization advocating "Total-mix diversity based on Universal Design." Hundreds of communities provide Bankshot Playcourts mainstreaming differently-able participants in community sports. Bankshot basketball Playcourts are also at Montrose park, the JCC among other locations.

===Montgomery County Agricultural Fair===
[[File:Montgomery County Fairgrounds.JPG|thumb|right|upright|Montgomery County Fairgrounds]]
Since 1949 the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, the largest in the state, showcases farm life in the county. The week long event offers family events, carnival rides, live animals, entertainment and food. Visitors can also view entries of canned and baked goods, clothing, quilts and produce from local county farmers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mcagfair.com/about-us/|title=About Us - The Montgomery County Agricultural Fair|website=www.mcagfair.com|access-date=February 7, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221192131/http://www.mcagfair.com/about-us/|archive-date=February 21, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Sister cities ===
Montgomery County maintains [[sister city]] agreements with:<ref>{{Cite web |title=OUR SISTER CITIES {{!}} Montgomery County Sister Cities |url=https://www.montgomerysistercities.org/sistercities |access-date=August 7, 2023 |website=Sistercities |language=en |archive-date=August 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230807011253/https://www.montgomerysistercities.org/sistercities |url-status=live }}</ref>

* [[Morazán Department]], [[El Salvador]]
* [[Gondar]], [[Ethiopia]]
* [[Xi'an]], [[China]]
* [[Hyderabad]], [[India]]
* [[Daejeon]], [[South Korea]]

{{Clear}}