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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Billy Graham was born and raised to be a Presbyterian farmer in Charlotte, but, as he is being laid to rest in his hometown, is now remembered here as having been a leading voice for evangelicals worldwide.

During a five-decade career, Graham was largely absent from Charlotte, which nevertheless championed and memorialized him as it developed over the years from a conservative Presbyterian agricultural town into a complex interfaith city known as much for banking as for being the hometown of Billy Graham.

Graham left a lasting imprint on Charlotte, which named a major arterial road the Billy Graham Parkway. And while many of the religious groups that developed here have strong disagreements with Graham and his ministry, their Charlotte chapters still harbor some respect for him.

People in Charlotte “have an unbelievable deep pride for Billy Graham, almost a defensiveness, even though he’s been gone since he went to Wheaton,” said Ken Garfield, the former religion editor at The Charlotte Observer, referring to Wheaton College in Illinois, Graham’s alma mater.

While Graham, who died last week at 99, traveled the nation and world, holding over 400 revival meetings, or crusades, this city — once defined by a conservative Presbyterianism, and later Graham’s own brand of evangelicalism — developed a rich multifaith tapestry. It now includes vibrant Roman Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Greek Orthodox and even Baha’i communities.

“To see diversity in Charlotte is to recognize that we don’t have one type of Islamic or Christian community or any other religion," said Rodney Sadler, a board member of Mecklenburg Ministries, an interfaith organization, and a professor at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Charlotte. "We have multiple different immigrant and religious communities that have come and thrived here."

Largely evangelical, Charlotte still maintains religious diversity Phil McCausland / NBC News

One denomination that has particularly thrived here is Catholicism. Catholic leaders once declared that Charlotte required missionaries, but it now has one of the largest Catholic congregations in the country, St. Matthew Catholic Church, according to America, a Jesuit magazine. The parish serves nearly 11,000 families.

Related: Billy Graham mourners flock from across the nation, globe to pay final respects

Though Graham followed a different faith, members of the congregation take note of their similarities more than their differences.

“The spirit in which he ministered and evangelized is not necessarily any different than the other faith communities here in Charlotte,” said Antoinette Usher, operations and facilities director of St. Matthew’s. “But he was a remarkable man and a very humble shepherd.”

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There are now nondenominational churches scattered throughout Charlotte that mirror Graham's large gatherings and unorthodox preaching style. Elevation Church, which began in Charlotte and now has a nationwide following, regularly attracts crowds in the tens of thousands and holds assets valued at nearly $50 million in 2016, according to the church’s financial documents.

On Twitter, Elevation’s pastor, Steven Furtick, credited Graham with influencing a new generation of preachers.

You showed us how to leave the 99 for the 1. Thank you Dr. Graham. Rest In Peace. #BillyGraham pic.twitter.com/ZUwL7C9Nn0 — Steven Furtick (@stevenfurtick) February 21, 2018

But other religions do not embrace Graham openly. Many Jews in Charlotte still harbor resentment and even fear over Graham’s assertion — in comments secretly recorded by President Richard Nixon in 1972 — that Jews controlled the media.

"The Jewish stranglehold has got to be broken or the country's going down the drain," he told Nixon at the time.