Pennsylvania Dutch Country

Lancaster County and the broader space between Reading and the Susquehanna River is the center of the so-called Pennsylvania Dutch community. The term refers to myriad religious orders and cultures of Germanic roots (Deutsch – mistakenly anglicized to Dutch) who have lived here since the 18th century; Amish, Mennonites and German Baptist (Brethren) are the best known. One common cultural thread: all are devoted to various degrees of low-tech plain living.