Where Are The Amish in Alaska?

This is part of our state guide series detailing where the Amish in various states. So where are the Amish in the Land of the Midnight sun? Are you likely to see a buggy clip-clopping down an ice road on the northern slope? While the Amish have been expanding westward and northward, Alaska poses special challenges.

The Amish church is rapidly growing and they are expanding in search of land and places to start new congregations. There are currently no Amish churches in Alaska. The state presents challenges.

⛰️ Challenges to the Amish Settling in Alaska

While I am not going to say that there will never be an Amish community in Alaska (someday I think there will be), there challenges that make it difficult. A woman who used to be a member of the Amish church in the Lower 48 who now lives in Alaska describes some of the challenges the Amish would face:

It would be really hard to live the horse and buggy lifestyle with the winters we have here. There are a few farms with some horses around. But they have to ship most of their feed and hay from the lower 48, which is very expensive. If Amish were to move here, they would all just have to drive dog teams instead! 

❤️ Some Selling Points of Alaska to the Amish

But it's not all challenges, Alaska would have a lot to offer Amish families that line up with their cultural conservative and lifestyle. Among them:

• plentiful land (but expensive)
• hunting and fishing opportunities
• solitude
• Opportunity for true off-the-grid self-sufficiency

 ⛪ There is a "Plain Alaska"

While the Amish may not have found a home in Alaska, there is a Plain presence. Our friend in Alaska described it like this:

There are a number of plain or Mennonite type churches here in the valley and in the Kenai peninsula. I think there's between 5 and 10. We also see a number of fairly conservative churches that aren't Mennonite but alot of the people have some type of 'plain' background, like German Baptist, Pilgrim Holiness, Southern Baptist etc. 

And if you read the Amish and Mennonite newspaper, The Budget, you will see entries from Wasilla and a few other settlements where there are conservative Mennonite churches, where members dress plainly and many have Amish roots.

So, what brought our friend to Alaska? Her story is like many Plain people who live there:

We felt the Lord was leading us here. We have a heart to reach out to the lost and suffering in this world. And we had different people speak to us about moving somewhere, that seemed prophetic. We knew we didn't fully understand God's plan, but details kept working out so we moved in faith. 

  For the Plain people, Alaska lives up to its motto as "The Last Frontier." And it's not just the Amish, Alaska has long had a draw to people who had an adventurous spirit or who were just seeking solitude. It was all chronicled well in Jon Krakauer's "Into the Wild."

🏪 Amish Businesses in Alaska

Just because there aren't an Old Order Amish in Alaska, it doesn't mean you can't get some Amish ambiance and authenticity.

One of the places that seems like your best bet for Amish baked goods and food is on the Kenai Peninsula in Soldotna:

Soldotna: The Farmhouse Bakery and Deli is owned and operated by the Yoder and Snader families. Both families are from Amish and Mennonite communities (in the lower 48), and is located on the Kenai Penninsula. Their website says: We have decided to bring Mennonite and Amish country baking and food to Alaska!

Williams & Kay: For furniture, this shop boasts of the best Amish furniture selection in Alaska. I'd think the shipping and mark-up would make the pieces cost a fortune, but if you live in Alaska and want Amish furniture,you have to deal.