Where are the Amish Communities in Colorado?

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✅ Why The Amish Like Colorado
🗺️ Amish Communities in Colorado
🛒 Amish Businesses in Colorado
📷 Pictures of Amish Life in Colorado

For a number of years - decades - the only place in the American West where there Amish could be found was in a remote corner of Montana where the Amish have set up shop near the town of Rexford.

But Colorado, with its vast valleys and flat plains (mixed in with its mountains) proved to be alluring to Amish. Plus, Colorado is a lot more accessible than remote Montana while offering the same outdoor opportunities. The first Amish settlements took root in 2002 around the Manassa area, but now there are several Amish communities across the counties of the San Luis Valley.

✅ Why The Amish Like Colorado

There are many reasons why Amish families would gravitate towards Colorado, among them:

Land availability/affordability: If you get away from the cities, there is still plenty of relatively affordable and plentify land and that is what the Amish found in the San Luis Valley.

Proximity: Yes, Colorado is far from the largest Amish settlements in Pennsylva, Ohio, and Indiana, but it's closer to the sizable Amish communities in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Missouri AND, perhaps most important, Colorado is on an Amtrak line from the east and Interstate 70 connects Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana in a straight shot to Colorado, so it's a much more accessible western state in that sense.

Many Amish also like to go to Mexico for medical care and Colorado is relatively close to Mexico compared to other places.

Outdoor Opportunities: The Amish, in general, are a people who love the outdoors and that is why Rexford, Montana's Amish community has long attracted Amish who love hunting, hiking, and fishing. Colorado offers the same extreme outdoor activities as Montana, and maybe more.

🗺️ Amish Communities in Colorado

Here are the ones we know about, but new Amish communities are always taking root so if you know of any others in Colorado, let us know!

Westcliffe: the flat, fertile valley is framed by the majestic Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range which has dozens of peaks that climb above 13,000 and 14,000 feet. The Amish settlement of Westcliffe is located outside town, which has all the supplies the Amish need: a grocery, an ACE hardware, and other small shops. The climate can swing from extreme heat to cold in the valley. An Amish writer - in the month of May - wrote how it "started snowing and by Friday morning we woke up to 2 inches of heavy wet snow."

This is a more progressive Amish settlement with some having electric. The churches here - there are two - are known as the Antelope Valley Church and the Westcliffe Amish Church.

Monte Vista: This actually the largest and oldest Amish community in Colorado, taking root in 2002. This settlement in Rio Grande County consist of about 300 residents. It's a circuitious two-drive from Westcliffe but just over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The area is dotted with plenty of Amish businesses. The Amish here say the climate is curative for health, but the extreme conditions - hot and cold - can make farming a challenge.

Other Amish communities dot this same valley area, they include:

La Jara: According to local media reports, this is the second largest Amish community in the state with around 165 residents and that hand-made boots by the Amish are a big thing here.

Alamosa

Hillside

Wetmore: A small Amish settlement where, according to local media reports, the Amish will offer buggy rides to tourists who wish to take in the culture and scenery.

Crawford: Established in 2018, this is Colorado's most recent Amish community. Local media reports say the Amish here arrived from New York State.