The 10 Largest Amish Communities

Where do the Amish live? Which are the ten biggest Amish communities? I take you from #10 to #1 and share interesting facts on each. I've visited all of these Amish settlements, and most of them multiple times.

I'm not Amish - but I first met the Amish in 2004.

Since then I've visited over 5,000 Amish homes (not an exaggeration:). More on that journey in another video.

Notes:

[1] If you're watching this years in the future, no worries. The list order is unlikely to have changed much - if at all.

I first did this list in the form of a blog post in 2009. It's nearly identical to the list in this video.

Amish communities grow fast. The population numbers will continue going up. But the order should remain more or less the same.

[2] Some settlements are commonly referred to by the county name (eg, the "Holmes County Amish"). Others are known by a nearby town in the area where they live.

[3] Some settlements are in multiple counties - even though the main county serves as the community's name.

For instance, I mention one example in the video (the Holmes County settlement) also including parts of several other counties.

Some of the other communities on this list (e.g., #5, #4, #1) also spread into multiple counties, even though just one or two counties are named.

[4] The Old Order Amish world is diverse. For example, there are more progressive Amish that use higher levels of technology. And there are those that are more restrictive.

For instance, some Amish permit gasoline engine lawnmowers, while others only use push mowers.

Most Amish light their buggies with battery-powered safety lights. But a smaller group uses only dim kerosene lanterns. And so on.

So when you are talking about "the Amish" in general - or even the Amish in a specific community - there are often exceptions.

I note some of those exceptions in this video at appropriate moments. But the topic itself deserves its own video(s).

[5] These population numbers are the latest from the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College (Elizabethtown, PA). http://groups.etown.edu/amishstudies/

[6] Image credits - thank you to David Arment, Jim Halverson, Ed C., and S.I.

[7] Read more: https://amishamerica.com/amish-popula...