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“Urban Amish” is an informal phrase, not the name of a formal Amish denomination. It can refer either to large Amish settlements near cities or, more narrowly, to Sarasota’s Pinecraft neighborhood, described in a 2025 settlement profile as a genuinely urban Amish/Mennonite settlement. Those uses are different: Pinecraft includes several plain Anabaptist affiliations, while large Amish settlements near cities are generally rural.
What does “urban Amish” mean?
The phrase has no single settled meaning in the sources reviewed. In one use, it describes some of the largest Amish settlements, which remain rural but lie relatively close to sizeable non-Amish population centers. In another, a 2025 settlement profile identifies Pinecraft in Sarasota, Florida, as the only truly urban Amish/Mennonite settlement. The phrase is therefore a context-dependent description, not evidence of a distinct urban Amish church or denomination.
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| Use of the phrase | What it describes | Geography and community |
|---|---|---|
| Large settlements near cities | An informal description used in secondary literature | Several large settlements that are generally rural, though relatively near sizeable non-Amish population centers; PBS describes variation among Old Order Amish subgroups and congregations. PBS American Experience |
| A genuinely urban settlement | A characterization in a 2025 settlement profile | Pinecraft, a Sarasota, Florida, neighborhood with Amish, Amish-Mennonite, and Conservative Mennonite people; the profile describes a seasonal population. 2025 settlement profile |
Are there Amish people who live in cities?
Pinecraft is the clearest example in the available sources of a place characterized as urban and associated with Amish life. The 2025 profile describes the neighborhood as including multiple plain Anabaptist affiliations, so it would be inaccurate to call every resident Amish or to assume its congregations all follow the same practices. The profile says the population is seasonal and that a few Amish, Amish-Mennonite, and Conservative Mennonite residents remain year-round; it does not give a population total.
Urban connections do not necessarily mean urban residence. The Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies describes Amish communities as distinctly rural while noting that many households have shifted from farming to nonfarm work, including small businesses, construction, and factory employment. Some specialty growers also sell into urban markets. A city customer, workplace, or nearby market does not make a rural settlement urban or create an “urban” Amish affiliation. Young Center: Amish occupations
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How is Amish identity distinguished from other plain Anabaptist groups?
Plain clothing alone does not establish that someone is Amish. PBS American Experience describes Old Order Amish identity in relation to horse-and-buggy transportation and the use of Pennsylvania German in church services and everyday conversation, while emphasizing that practices vary among local congregations. PBS’s overview identifies roughly 40 Old Order subgroups, but those figures are undated summary figures, not a current census.
Amish and Mennonites share Anabaptist roots, but they are distinct communities. Other groups—including Beachy Amish, Amish Mennonites, Old German Baptist Brethren, Old Order River Brethren, and Hutterites—are not interchangeable labels for Amish people. Pinecraft’s mixed plain Anabaptist community makes those distinctions especially important.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesWhy do Amish practices vary by community?
Each Amish community applies its own Ordnung, an unwritten set of behavioral regulations. Rules differ by church district, including expectations around dress, technology, and interaction with the outside world, so there is no single technology rule that applies to every Amish community. PBS traces Anabaptism to 1525, the Amish-Mennonite split to 1693, and the first Amish arrival in America to the mid-1700s. These broad historical milestones provide context, but they do not make present-day communities uniform. PBS American Experience: Ordnung PBS American Experience: Who are the Amish?
Was there an “urban Amish” community in New Orleans?
Amish America reports a historical possibility that migrant families stranded in New Orleans before 1850 may have formed a small, short-lived community. The account describes the evidence as scant and cites David Luthy’s The Amish in America: Settlements That Failed, 1840–1960. It is best understood as a tentative account of a brief episode, not proof of a continuous urban Amish community. Amish America: “Urban Amish” in New Orleans?
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Where can readers learn more about Amish communities?
For a broader overview of Amish history and contemporary life, the Young Center identifies The Amish by Donald B. Kraybill, Karen M. Johnson-Weiner, and Steven M. Nolt as an in-depth introduction. Population figures should be tied to a dated source: the Young Center says its Amish population statistics are updated annually in summer. Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies
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