The Barbour County Economic Development Authority is seeking to attract Amish families to Philippi and the surrounding region in a strategy to boost tourism and retail opportunities.
Mike Cvechko, the authority’s board of directors’ president, tells the Charleston Gazette-Mail that they believe relocating Amish businesses to the county is a good idea since area people already travel to Amish stores in neighboring states to shop.
Officials have done research and visited Amish businesses in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Business development director Reggie Trefethen says the Amish families would be paying to move to West Virginia on their own.
Trefethen says there could be as many as 16 Amish businesses, including furniture builders and cheese makers, in the county by the end of 2016, if Amish community leaders agree to relocate.