Amish Leave Pa. In Search Of Greener, Less Touristy Pastures : The Salt : NPR

Rolling pastures dotted with grazing cows, fields of corn and classic buggies driven by Amish in hats and bonnets — these are the images that attract visitors to Lancaster County, home to more than 30,000 of the Pennsylvania Dutch.

Visitors who also bring big money to the state — to the tune of nearly $1.8 billion a year. Which explains why the in a contest sponsored by Pennsylvania's Tourism Office didn't feature the Liberty Bell or the battlefield in Gettysburg — but rather, "I Break for Shoofly Pie," an ode to the traditional Amish dessert.

But pictures can be deceiving, and the office of tourism — indeed the entire state — has reason to worry. The Amish, with their emphasis on family, hard work and simplicity, have drawn hordes of tourists but also an influx of residents, malls, roads and housing developments. The upshot? Swaths of farmland have been lost, and many Amish are now choosing to give up farming or are leaving the state to pursue quieter surrounding and cheaper land.

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But the commercial and residential development that is generating construction jobs has also bumped up land prices. , who teaches at Elizabethtown College and is co-author of The Amish, said a 60-acre farm today costs around $1.2 million — not including livestock or equipment.

"The suburbanization of Lancaster County has put a huge burden on them," he said of Amish families. "It's too many babies and too few acres."

Amish Leave Pa. In Search Of Greener, Less Touristy Pastures : The Salt : NPR

Amish People in America | C-SPAN

A recent roundtable lecture given at Elizabethtown College by the authors of The Amish. Between them is 81 years of scholarly research into the culture of the Amish the we English find fascinating. The book referenced in the lecture is a companion to the PBS American Experience film of the same name.

What I found interesting in this presentation:
1] The book and film are a continuation of John Hosteltler's work Amish Society (1963) which I read in college
2] Authors stressed the importance of the diversity within the Amish community as a whole, "2060 ways of being Amish." Those of us on the outside may not realize that this diversity even exists as most of us can't tell the Amish apart from the Mennonites.
3] The bulk of the discussion centered around what the authors felt was an unanswered question: What is the social glue that holds this diverse Amish world together?

The simple answer a shared history, an ongoing narrative. Kraybill offers a a more complex answer, "German, steel, and farm." Which is echoed by Nolt, "the 18 Articles (the Dordrecht Confession of Faith), horse and buggy, and determined in the church (localism)."

What was common throughout the conversation in regards to this "dividing line," the use of horse-and-buggy transportation, the use of Pennsylvania German dialect in church services/daily conversation, termination of formal education at the eighth grade, the wearing of distinctive plain clothing, and rejection of modern amenities.

4] The fear of critical thinking, the analytical mindset, that comes with higher education which embodies individualism that the Amish avoid. In other words, why their schooling ends with the 8th grade.
5] Religion is the core of society that changes the slowest.
6] Distinction between access to technology and owning technology

Amish People in America | C-SPAN