The Amish population nationwide has nearly doubled in the past 16 years, according to a new study. Wisconsin's number of Amish grew at even more rapid rate from around 7,000 in 1992 to 15,000 in 2008, according to Sociologist Donald Kraybill.
The Senior Fellow at Elizabethtown College's Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist says, in that time span, the amount of Wisconsin Amish communities also spiked from 27 settlements to 50.
Kraybill says many are migrating from states like Ohio and Pennsylvania where suburbanization is driving up prices and impeding on their lifestyle.
"They're attracted to rural areas of Wisconsin where they can buy fertile land and reasonable prices."
The professor also cites factors like the Amish having large families and a near 85 percent retention rate in the community as reasons for the boost
AUDIO: Brian Moon reports (MP3 :65)
