Does Texas Have An Amish Community? Where Are They?

The Amish culture is one of the more fascinating ones when you dive into it, but it's not something we see a whole lot of in Texas. Now granted, they do like to tuck away from the big city and mind their own.

Not to mention that a lot of the Amish culture was, and in certain places still is, about farming. It's how they make their living, and big cities aren't exactly conducive to that.

So are there actually Amish communities in Texas? You would think that maybe the Texas Panhandle would provide a lot of opportunity, but it doesn't. There are a few small communities in Texas, and they're located around Stephenville, Beeville, and Lott.

So why aren't there more in Texas? Three small communities seems wild for such a large state. Well, there are several different reasons as to why Texas isn't an ideal place for the Amish, and these are the reasons.

Firstly, the weather and climate isn't overly conducive to the farming ways of the Amish community. Without having access to large irrigation systems, their crops run the potential of dying before they ever mature.

Staying on the weather, the heat can simply be too unbearable. Most Amish don't have indoor air conditioning, so when those temps start to rise in Texas, there's zero relief.

Secondly, the distance is a main factor as to why there aren't many Amish communities here. Many Amish communities tend to exist in the Midwest, and living in Texas makes it very difficult to travel. Oklahoma and Kansas have some very stable and established communities, therefore there isn't much reason for them to migrate further south.

Lastly, Amish economics come in to play with Texas. With the Amish community doing less and less on the farming end of things, it means they look for different ways to bring in income to support their families.

This includes things such as furniture making, carpentry, and cabinet making. Those types of things when made are extremely expensive to ship, and being in Texas you are a long ways away when it comes to shipping across the country. Being centrally located makes it much cheaper and easier.