Barefoot children in bonnets and straw hats trudge through a farm field toting schoolbooks and sack

Barefoot children in bonnets and straw hats trudge through a farm field toting schoolbooks and sack lunches. Behind them, an older boy drives a team of plow-pulling horses. The smell of freshly turned soil permeates the air.
The scene, commonplace at the turn of the 20th century, could be the subject of a Winslow Homer painting -- except for the cloud of dust turned up by a sleek sports car as it speeds past a horse-drawn buggy, the clompity-clomp of pounding hooves lost in a blast of pounding music.
Living much as they did 100 years ago, these people are common along backroads of northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania, home to some of the world's largest settlements of Old Order Amish.
Nearly 10,000 Amish live in Trumbull and Geauga counties and an additional 2,000 live in neighboring Lawrence and Mercer counties in Pennsylvania.
Some, still rooted in tradition, eke out a living farming while others have turned to operating small businesses.
They started immigrating to America in the 1700s seeking religious freedom and have maintained largely the same lifestyle for the past 250 years.
All Amish live in North America today, numbering about 180,000 people. Experts estimate their population doubles every 20 years with new communities forming continually. There are about 250 settlements in 25 states and one Canadian province.
The first Amish came to Lawrence and Mercer counties from Mifflin, Pa., in the 1840s, seeking affordable farmland.
They came to Trumbull and Geauga counties in the 1880s from Holmes County. Today, the Trumbull-Geauga settlement is the second largest in Ohio and fourth largest in the world.
While their goal is to serve God without drawing attention to themselves, their mere presence has a powerful impact on their communities, influencing tourism, business, politics and the fabric of daily living.
Over the next three days we will explore how they maintain their lifestyle and continue to thrive in today's fast-paced society.