The Amish community in the Sarasota-area Pinecraft neighborhood is one of the most unique Amish settlements. I went into more on why in the Florida Amish state guide page, as well as in the 40+ photo post about my 2013 visit. So if you don’t know much about this unusual community, I’d suggest checking out those. One difference between now and that 2013 visit: there…
Going back again through some photos, I realized I still had a lot of shots from my last visits to Charlotte County, Virginia. I’ve already written about this community several times – in posts on an “off-the-map” Amish dry goods store, on Amish phone shacks, and on Esh’s Variety Stand, a little two-day-a-week business selling baked goods, canned goods, and more. I though you might…
Half of them are in Indiana. Two apiece in Pennsylvania and Ohio. And one in Illinois. The list of the top 10 largest Amish settlements doesn’t change much from year-to-year. These places generally have similar steady growth. And relatively few people leaving. Update 2024: We do have one change this year, however. Allen County, Indiana falls out of the #10 spot, replaced by another community…
You might have noticed that Amish settlements tend to cluster together on the map. Especially in high-Amish-population states, many communities lie within a short drive or even buggying distance. In fact, most individual Amish settlements are going to be within a half-hour to an hour’s car drive from at least one other settlement. Even when Amish settle multiple communities in a new distant state, they…
Amish began moving to Manistee County, Michigan in the summer of 2018. A year later, there are nine families in this county which borders Lake Michigan, with more expected. In a nice article at the Traverse City Record-Eagle, three of those families share some insights on Amish life, and how they’ve adapted in the new community. 1. David and Barbara Hershberger David is the bishop…
The Young Center has just published their annual Amish population numbers. As of 2019, an estimated 342,100 Amish live in four different countries. That includes Amish in: 31 US States 4 Canadian Provinces One settlement each in Bolivia and Argentina There don’t seem to be any big surprises after looking over the figures. Unlike most recent years, there were no new states, provinces, or countries…
Are the Amish starting to pay more attention to a state they have – til now – mostly ignored? A new community in West Virginia appears to be the latest example of a fresh trend of migration to the state. West Virginia lies wedged between Ohio and Pennsylvania, the two biggest Amish-population states. But for most of its history, it’s had little Amish settlement. However,…
Earlier this month, Don Burke gave us the story of how he first visited the Amish in Ohio, along with photos from that trip. We left off as he and his wife Pam were about to continue on — for a first visit to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. So let’s rejoin them now for the next portion of the journey… Don: As we ended the previous…
If you’ve read this site for some time, you’ll know Don Burke has been a long-time contributor here, sharing his visits and top-notch photos from Amish communities around the country. For a few examples, see Don’s trips to Ethridge, Tennessee, inside a Missouri Amish home, or at an “Amish-ish” wedding. Today Don tells us the story of how he happened to first visit the Amish,…
Don Burke is back with a collection of wonderful photos from a visit to an off-the-main-drag Amish community. This one is located in Oregon County in southern Missouri. Don shares the story of his visit below. You can find more of Don’s photos here. Being a freelance photographer, when I recently discovered I had two-and-a-half spring days free, I quickly made plans for a visit in…