For a small town, Hyattsville has a diverse array of houses of worship.

Despite having a population of around 18,000 people, the city has churches representing a number of major Christian denominations, a synagogue and a Mormon ward, the larger of two types of weekly meeting places for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The churches represent most of the major sects of Christianity frequented by blacks, whites and Hispanics. Here’s just a sampling:

Two Catholic churches: St. Jerome and St. Mark the Evangelist. First United Methodist Church of Hyattsville. Ebenezer Methodist Church (Ghana Conference). St. Matthews/San Mateo Episcopal Church. Hyattsville Seventh-day Adventist Church. West Hyattsville Baptist Church. University Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Redeemer Lutheran Church. Hyattsville Mennonite Church. The nondenominational Crossover Church also has two locations.

In addition, nearby Mount Rainier has an Islamic center and there’s a Hindu temple up Riggs Road past the Beltway, although the closest Buddhist temple is in Silver Spring.

One reason for this religious diversity may be because Hyattsville is already so diverse and growing more so, with 33 percent identifying as white, 36 percent as black and 34 percent as Hispanic in the 2010 Census. Another is the city’s unusually high percentage of immigrants—39 percent of residents were born in another country, three times the national average.

The influence of the University of Maryland is probably also a factor, as colleges tend to draw people from different backgrounds and also are a popular place for religious outreach.