Mormons, whose church is officially called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, use Christian iconography and say that they follow the biblical God but with additional revelations not included in the Bible.

Economic, political and social tensions have grown as Latter-day Saints have poured into Nauvoo. A developer wants to build a 70-unit residential complex on the edge of town, and the unspoken assumption is that church members would buy most of them. The City Council has blocked the project, citing concerns about its size.

"Real estate sales are five times bigger than before they came in with the temple," said Wayne S. Marting, the town's only real estate agent. "If in a normal year you used to sell six or seven properties, now it's 25 properties. And if you sell 25, then 21 or 22 of those sales would be to Mormons."

Rustin Lipincott, director of the Nauvoo tourism office, said he spent much of his time "trying to find that happy balance between local folks and Mormon folks."

"This is an exciting time for Nauvoo, especially for people in business," Lipincott said, "but I can also see the hesitation of longtime residents."