SMALL AND SIMPLE BIG AND BUSY A family in a horse drawn buggy rides slowly along a country road in Lancaster County Pennsylvania They are part of a religious community known as the Amish Their buggy passes farmhouses barns and a one room schoolhouse Just 150 miles 240 km away crowds of people make their way through the streets of New York City Cars taxis and buses inch forward through traffic jams Skyscrapers tower over the city Billboards light up the streets There are many Amish farming communities in Lancaster County Pennsylvania
The two places could not be more different But both are favorite tourist spots in the Mid Atlantic This region follows the Atlantic Coast from New York State to Washington DC It also includes the PERSPECTIVES THE SIMPLE LIFE Pennsylvania has the second largest Amish population in the United States after the state of Ohio The Amish are a religious farming community They live much like their ancestors did hundreds of years ago They wear plain clothes They do not use tractors in their fields Many do not drive cars or use electricity They do not own televisions radios or computers They believe these modern things would distract them from their faith The Amish think outside influences could also harm their simple way of life By living apart from the rest of society they can keep their communities close states of Pennsylvania New Jersey Delaware and Maryland CLIMATE Summer days in the Mid Atlantic region are hot and humid Temperatures usually hover around
85 degrees Fahrenheit 30°C Temperatures are even warmer near the coast as Atlantic Ocean currents carry warm water up from the equator Further inland mountain ranges such as the Appalachians block coastal air This keeps temperatures more moderate The Great NOR'EASTERS Lakes also affect temperatures in northern New York and Pennsylvania The lake water absorbs heat in the summer and releases it during the cooler months This Nor easters are strong storms that often hit the Mid Atlantic They form in the Gulf of Mexico when warm air from the ocean clashes with cold air from the north The storms then move up the Atlantic Coast Northeasterly winds blow in from the ocean ahead of the storms giving the storms their name Though nor easters can hit at any time during the year they are most violent between September and April They bring large amounts of rain ice or snow Sometimes they bring a combination of all three causes cooler springs and warmer autumns It can also cause lake effect snow This occurs
