Amish on the Move for New Homes : Religion: Reasons include urbanization, rising land prices, large families and internal disputes within congregations.

AVA, Ill. —  Melvin Miller moved from Union Grove, N.C., to the rolling hills of southern Illinois nearly three years ago, carving out a life where his Amish creed of self-sufficiency and simplicity could prosper.

Since Miller arrived with his wife and daughter, eight other Amish families have joined them from Wisconsin, Kentucky and North Carolina, and more are interested.

Experts say the growth of Miller’s community in northwestern Jackson County reflects a trend: America’s Amish have spread rapidly over the last 20 years.

“They’re always looking for new farmlands,” said Donald Kraybill, an Elizabethtown (Pa.) College sociology professor and author of “The Riddle of Amish Culture.”

“The drama is in the migration, in the shifting to other areas,” Kraybill said.

Between 1972 and 1992, the number of Amish settlements increased from 83 to 227, spread among 22 states and Ontario, Canada, Kraybill said.

Statistics on the number of Amish are hard to get: The U.S. Census Bureau says it hasn’t compiled numbers since the 1950s. But Kraybill estimated there are about 100,000 to 140,000 Amish adults and children today, about twice as many as in 1970. Half of them are under 18 years old.

Kraybill said the reasons behind the migration include urbanization, rising land prices, large families and internal disputes within congregations, which are largely autonomous.

Miller, 59, who makes a living selling homemade jams and furniture parts, said he heard about Ava and its 800 inhabitants from friends who were contacted by real estate agents.

Miller’s community, spread over a 10-square-mile area around Ava and Campbell Hill, shuns non-religious entertainment, television and radio. Education is limited to the eighth grade.

Unlike their more traditional counterparts, the Ava settlement uses electricity, in-home telephones and tractors, although a drive into town still requires a horse and buggy. Members cannot drive cars but may ride in them.

“We think we need to exercise our minds with the things that will not corrupt them so much,” Miller said. “We don’t profess that the way we live is what saves us, but the way we live is a way to protect us from the things that are more apt to lead people astray.”

The Amish are conspicuous by their clothing: wide-brimmed hats and pocketless shirts for men, who wear beards without mustaches; long, subdued dresses and bonnets for the women.

About 70% of the Amish live in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana, but their communities can be found in many states, including Florida and Arizona.

Among the states recording the biggest increase in Amish settlements is Michigan, which went from five settlements in 1972 to 23 in 1992, Kraybill said. Amish settlements in New York increased from one to 15 in the same period, while Kentucky’s Amish communities went from one to 12.

Settlements vary in size, with some as small as five or six families. The largest settlement is in Holmes County, Ohio, with about 23,000 Amish, Kraybill said.

The Amish, descendants of the Swiss Anabaptists of 16th-Century Europe, are primarily farmers noted for their frugality, although rising land prices and development have forced some to open shops, sell crafts or form building and carpentry teams.

Abraham Huston, who arrived at Ava from Wisconsin about a year ago, said his goals are simple: “My foremost interest is to serve God--and woodworking.”

Some settlements have become tourist attractions.

“There are some theories that the Amish have become stronger because of the increased attention from the outside,” said Brad Igou, a Lancaster County, Pa., tour employee.

Ava residents seem to be accepting their new, quiet neighbors, who school their own children but still pay taxes.

“I think they’re a real benefit to the community,” said James McCormick, who sells livestock feed to the Amish farmers. “Of course, there’s some skepticism around the area, but you’re going to have that whenever somebody new moves in.”