There Are Twenty Mosques in San Diego County. What Other Religions Exist?
- Susan Heavilin
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
As you may have heard, there was a horrific shooting recently at the Islamic Center of San Diego. The ICSD is the largest mosque in San Diego.
I often pass by a rather large mosque on the way to my hairstylist's salon. I wondered if it might possibly be the same.
Sometimes I get off the I-185 and head the wrong direction. That is when I see this prestigious mosque. If I don't use my GPS, I am often lost. I'll say it loud and proud, I am directionally-challenged.
So I pulled up a google map to see and yes, it is the same mosque. It is located 1.4 miles from my stylist. Here is the map that came up.
I was surprised to see that there are 20+ mosques in San Diego County. There are another three north of us and then it's basically empty of mosques in surrounding areas. The greatest grouping is here in our County. I had no idea.
So that got me thinking about other religions. What other religions exist and how many places of worship do they have in San Diego County?
Here is what I discovered and I have entered it alphabetically.
RELIGION | NUMBER |
Bahá'í Faith | Unknown, small gatherings in private areas |
Baptist | 200 churches |
Buddhism | 60-70 temples, churches, meditation centers |
Christian Science | 10-12 churches |
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | 80 congregations |
Episcopal | 40-45 congregations |
Jewish | 30+ congregations/synagogues |
Lutheran | 35-40 churches |
Methodist | 35-40 churches |
Non-denominational | 100 churches or more |
Pentecostal | 9 churches |
Presbyterian | 30 churches |
Roman Catholic Diocese | 96 Parishes and 13 missions |
Seventh-day Adventist | 40-45 churches/organized groups |
The Satanic Temple | Unknown, mostly underground but they do have a presence in San Diego |
Wicca | Unknown, covens meet in private spaces and public parks (observed at round pen in Morrison Park in 2025)*** |
***The photos below were captured from a video taken by a woman walking on the Morrison Pond Trail with her young grandchildren. The incident happened last fall (2025), around 6pm in the evening.
Fifteen Wiccans were coming down the trail toward them, flipping their capes and exposing bare skin and leather bondage wear. She quickly covered the children's eyes. An older couple were present on the trail and became visibly shaken about what they were viewing.
The videographer sat for a while with her grandchildren at the end of the trail, until she thought the Wiccans had left. When she retraced her steps, the Wiccans were in the Morrison Pond round pen. They were in a circle conducting a ritual. One woman—wearing all red—was in the middle and the others were swaying back and forth. Two were wearing goat-horn headpieces.
The woman was upset and it all was very troubling to her. She felt that the Wiccans should find a more remote spot for their ceremonies and away from innocent eyes.
The video was sent to the Summit Park Rangers and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. No response was received.
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