Amish Across America: Growth and Change among a Traditional People

Often presented as a stubbornly timeless people, the Amish are in fact a remarkably dynamic group. Doubling in population about every twenty years, they now number nearly 375,000 and live in 34 states. This illustrated lecture will introduce the Amish in broad strokes and in terms of several specific recent developments, including their geographic expansion and economic diversification. A century ago, nearly all Amish were dairy farmers and lived in a small band stretching from Pennsylvania to Iowa. Today, Amish people are engaged in an array of occupations from furniture crafting and industrial metal fabrication to organic produce production and a wide range of retail establishments, an economic picture that mirrors the greater range of locations in which they are making their homes. The presentation will conclude with observations on the possibilities for both neighborly cooperation and community tension as more Amish move to new places among neighbors who have not previously interacted with Plain people.