Why do we want to live in the Kutztown area?

Well, who wouldn't want to see this every day?  Kutztown and the surrounding area has many Old Order Mennonites.  Think Amish with tractors on steel wheels.  We often see a horse and buggy going down the road while we are eating breakfast in a local diner.  And then there are the Mennonites who ride bicycles everywhere.  I kid my husband that I need a bike with a little trailer behind, a Mennonite dress, a pair of black sneakers and a bonnet and I'll be all set to go shopping.  He says I need a baby pig to ride in the trailer.  I think all Mennonite women use the same pattern to make their dresses, but they are not afraid of patterned fabric in lots of pretty colors.

The Mennonite farm stands are a great bargain for fabulous food.  A bunch of asparagus for $2, no problem.  A beautiful head of lettuce grown with no pesticides for $1.50, why not.  Need some pepper plants?  Go to Meadow View Farm and you could probably get at least 40 different varieties of hot pepper plants.  I can't wait to be able to shop in the Kutztown area on a more regular basis.

The area itself is beautiful.  Our new house is in a little valley with a 200 "hill" right next to the house on one side; seems to go almost straight up from the side yard.  And there is a similar, but slightly smaller hill on the other side of the road which runs along the side of our property.  The house actually sits on a corner, but you don't really notice it much with all the trees along the road.  The property itself slopes gradually up in the back at least 200 feet as well.  The property is surrounded on 3 sides by PA State Game Lands so we will never have new neighbors moving in, unless you count the deer.
On the other side of the "hill" there is a cave.  Turns out my husband went there when he was in Elementary School.  Its closed now to prevent vandalism and to let the bats return. But you can still see the opening when you drive by.

About a quarter mile away is a covered bridge.  Its on the national historic register so hopefully it won't be going anywhere soon.  If we wanted to go for a walk "around the block", which isn't really a city "block" out in the county, we could go past the cave, over an old one lane stone bridge, past a mill built in the 1800s, through farm land, then down a hill and through the covered bridge, then past an old stone farm house with a huge array of solar panels, then past another old stone farm house and barn, then down the hill and back into our little valley.