About 18,000 of the Old Order Amish (pronounced Ab-mish) people in the United States live in and around Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The Amish religion is an offshoot of the Mennonite faith. People of both these denominations came to America in the early 1700s, with many settling in Pennsylvania, to escape religious persecution in Europe.
The Amish emphasize the importance of humility, family, community, and separation from the world.
For that reason they do not use electricity because they wish to keep their lives both simple and isolated from outside influences, which electrical devices such as radio and television could bring into their homes.
Many use horses and buggies rather than cars to get around.
Old Order Amish keep their children home from school after they finish the eighth grade, putting them to work on the family farm or in the family business.
