When
the Italians migrated, like most ethnic groups, they migrated in
numbers, to the Boston, New York, New Jersey and West Coast Ports.
Many Sicilians came to New Orleans. The term "Little Italy"
refers to Italian Neighborhoods in the United States. Sometimes,
if the setting is right, some of these neighborhoods make you feel as
if you were actually in Italy. Most of these Italian sections started
developing in the late 1800's and early 1900's when many poor Italians
came to America in hope of finding work, and a better way of life
for their families. The Italians are very proud people, so if you
enter one of their neighborhoods, be sure you love the Italians and can
take some of their attitudes with a grain of Sicilian Sea Salt.
Some of the Little Italy neighborhoods are smaller than others,
naturally, the larger the better. One of the most famous, the
Little Italy of Manhattan's Lower East Side, has now dwindled.
This list of "Little Italys" is not inclusive of all
neighborhoods but does include some of the most famoust ones. You will
notice the majority of people chose to settle on near the water/costal
areas and more specifically the North East Coast of the United States.
California
California
is not only a remarkable state in size, it is the most heavily
populated of the states. Additionally, the region and the weather
that California posseses now rivals the rest of the world when
it comes to citrus products, wine, olive oil and many other
culinary fronts. No wonder why so many Italians flock to this
state to call home!
This
long-time institution in Wilmington includes Saint Anthony’s
Church of Padua, the West End Neighborhood House, Saint Francis
Hospital, West Side Health Clinic, the Prince of Peidmont Club and
Woodlawn Trustees. →Wilmington
Illinois
Chicago, Illinois. Taylor
Street, in Chicago is one of the areas left that is mostly Italian.
When we think of Chicago, we might think of the early days of Al
Capone during prohibition, but more fonder remembrances are of deep
dish pizza. Now home to many restaurants and gourmet grocery
stores located southwest of the Ryan & Eisenhower Expressway
intersection, and stretches mostly along Taylor and Morgan Streets.
There is also one more italian neighborhood
in chicago. it is called Bridgeport which is located on the south side
of chicago near comiskey park just east of the dan ryan expressway.
this is a fairly large italian neighborhood with a large population of
italian immigrants. most of the people who inhabit this neighborhood
are from Ricigliano, Italy; Nicosia, Sicily. there are more italians
living in Bridgeport than there are in Taylor Street. the italian
language is still widely used in Bridgeport. it is truely a great place
to live.
There are also a lot of Calabrese and
people from the Sicilian towns of San Biagio Platani and Termini
Imerese in the Bridgeport area. There are also a couple of more Italian
neighborhoods in Chicago. One is called the Heart of Italy and its
located around 24th and Oakley st its mostly northern Italians. Then
there is Little Sicily located around Grand and Ogden Avenues, and the
is one more on North Harlem Avenue.
Louisiana
New Orleans once
had the largest population of Sicilians outside of Sicily in the United
States. Today, many Creole traditions and culture has replaced it.
There is no longer a large Little
Italy section of town, but still a large Italian
community with plenty of Italian restaurants.
You can find
Italian bread in most French bakeries, and the supermarkets, like most
supermarkets these days in any part of the country have a larger
gourmet section.
Maryland
The Little Italy in Baltimore is right off Pratt Street & Ablemarle Street in the Inner Harbor
(the harbor is very beautiful). There are plenty of good Italian
resturants and Italian residents left. You can stop by Vacarro's
Bakery for their famous cannoli and Italian Ice Tea (homemade lemon ice
filled with real brewed iced tea), and Da Mimmo's Restaurant for
authentic Italian dishes. The neighborhood is small, but
nice.
The North End of Boston is bordered by Commercial Street and the J.F. Kennedy
Highway. T he neighborhood is surrounded by brick and stone
warehouses, and docks of Boston's old harbor. Along the narrow
and small streets are red brick and painted houses, restaurants and
trattorias, cafes, bars, shops and a a long strip of Italian specialty
food shops. The combination of residential and commercial areas
mix well here. Additionally, this Italian section of Boston has
many religious processions.
Missouri
In St. Louis, "The
Hill" as its known, is near South Kings Highway and Shaw Boulevard.
The area has often been said to resemble Rome in Italy. There are
many great trattorias, food stores and restaurants and offer a lively
and colorful slice of Italian life in the Midwest US. You can see
fire hydrants painted in the colors of the Italian flag (green, white,
red). The single most popular dish? It is said its "toasted
ravioli". It is a St. Louis invention, what it is is actually
breaded ravioli filled with beef and fried in oil (most likely someone
dropped it in the fryer instead of the pot of water and there we have
the birth of a Italian-American specialty). Maria & Son are
Sicilian, so if you care to order their frozen products, call
314-481-9009.
New Jersey
Jersey City There is a downtown section of Jersey City along Monmouth &
Brunswick streets from Columbus Drive to 9th Street that is pretty much
a Little Italy. While things have changed a bit, you still find a
few bakeries like Pecoraros and Second Street and delis like Fiores.
There are a few social clubs and some Italian migration center.
The parish of Holy Rosary has the oldest Italian feast in NJ.
Similar neigborhoods in the Marion section along Broadway and Mt.
Carmel Church. Raritan, Main Street, New Jersey lots of great restaurants and some gourmet Italian food specialty shops. Madonna Dell’Assunta Lodge #2716 - Order of Sons of Italy in America
PO Box 502, Browns Mills, NJ 08015
Phone (609) 893-5080 Phone (609) 964-1520 Email
Its objectives, as conceived by its founders, are to enroll all men and
women of Italian heritage under one banner in order to preserve and
disseminate the rich cultural heritage of Italy; and to promote and
advance their progress everywhere within the framework of American
society. The OSIA continues to thrive, meeting the initial objectives
of its founders through a wide variety of community, cultural, social,
charitable, educational, patriotic, youth, and civicactivities. National Coalition of Italian American Law Enforcement Associations
PO Box 214
East Hanover, NJ 07936
(888) 788-8428 Email
The object of this Coalition is be to provide a close union for its
members, to be part of an ethnic group of Professional Law Enforcement
Officers who cherish the spirit of brotherhood and remembrance of their
roots. This coalition does not and will not take the place of any
Union/Benevolent Association or any other bargaining agent that their
members currently belong. They are an ethnic group to provide National
membership so that the Italian Heritage will not be forgotten and will
receive the respect that it is due. The Italian-American Police Society of New Jersey
PO Box 352, Lyndhurst, NJ 07071
(800) IAPSNJ-1 Email
Promotes Italian heritage through helping the community as well as all
law enforcement officers and their families. UNICO National, Inc.
72 Burroughs Place, Bloomfield, New Jersey 07003-34962
Phone (973) 748-9144 Fax (973) 748-9576 Email Verona Unico
Verona, NJ 07044
Website: www.veronaunico.com Email UNICO National, Inc. - West Orange
PO Box 7106, West Orange, New Jersey 07052-7106
Email UNICO National is
a nationwide service organization similar to Lions, Kiwanis and Rotary.
Its membership is exclusively open to American men andwomen of Italian
heritage, or persons married to men and women of Italian heritage, of
good character and reputation. Members are united in a nationalchain,
working jointly on national projects and separately on community
activities, to uplift the prestige of our people. It is non-political
andnon-sectarian. →Bloomfield →Bound Brook →Garfield →Hoboken →Jersey City →Lodi →Paterson →Newark →Raritan
New York
With
over 18,00 Restaurants in New York City, you know that there will
be some great Italian restaurants. But more than that, when the
"boat" came over from Italy carrying Italian immigrants, where do you
think they stayed? But of course... New York, New York, the city
so nice, they named it twice.
Bronx, Arthur Avenue, NY
Here you can find some of the finest sasuage still produces in the USA.
Italians who have since moved to the outer areas of the United
States from New York and the North East Coast still have the famous
sausage from Arthur Avenue shipped to them where ever they now reside.
Bronx, Pelham Bay, NY
This area reminds me of the North Ward of Newark and/or Bloomfield, New
Jersey. Its a nice, but busy neighborhood where many Italians
still reside outside the inner city and its problems of the
Bronx.
AATI - American Association of Teachers of Italian, Long Island Chapter
34 Forest Drive, Plainview, NY 11803
Email The
American Association of Teachers of Italian Was founded in 1924 to
promote the study of Italian language, literature, and culture in
schools, colleges and universities in North America. It has
approximately 1500 members worldwide. The Association publishes the
quarterly journal, Italica, and a twice-yearly Newsletter. It sponsors
seminars and workshops in the broad area of Italian studies and holds
annual meetings, usually in conjunction with ACTFL but also in Italy.
AATI is dedicated to excellence in teaching and research in all areas
of Italian studies.
American-Italian Heritage Association
PO Box 3136, Albany, NY 12203-3136
(518) 435-0591 Email
The AIHA was established in 1979 by Professor/Cavalliere Philip J.
DiNovo in Morrisville, New York. AIHA is a non-profit organization with
over 1,575 members in 47 states and in Italy. The AIHA operated the
Italian Cultural Center & Museum located in Utica, New York
(Utica's "Little Italy" - east side of the city) for the past nineteen
years. It was closed late in 1998 so that plans for the new national
museum in Albany, NY could begin. Currently, there are plans underway
for the building of a National Italian-American Museum & Cultural
Center in Albany, New York. Professor DiNovo is overseeing this project
which is scheduled to be open within the next few years. The Center and
Museum stands in memory of the Italian immigrants who came to the
United States.
Arba Sicula
Modern Foreign Languages Dpt - St. John's University
8000 Utopia Parkway, Jamaica, NY 11439
Arba Sicula is a non-profit international organization that promotes
the language and culture of Sicily. Arba Sicula publishes a 20-page
biannual newsletter that highlights the activities of the organization.
It is written primarily in English with one or two pages devoted to
Sicilian.
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marim貌
24 West 12th Street, New Hyde Park, NY 11040
(516) 488-4062 Email
One of the principal aims is to enroll in its membership all persons of
Italian birth or descent, regardless of religious faith or political
affiliation and to keep alive the traditions of our ancestors. The
influence of the order is reflected in its strong family ties and warm
regard and involvement with the community. The OSIA motto is "Liberty,
Equality and Fraternity." Cellini Lodge has within its ranks: two
senior citizen groups, two youth groups, a bowling league, and a
culture and heritage committee. General meetings are held on the first
Monday of the month.
Center for Italian Studies
Fifth floor of the F. Melville Library, SUNY at Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY 11794-3358
(631) 632-7444 Email
The Center has three specific purposes: first, to stimulate
interdisciplinary research on the part of the local academic community
on issues that bring about a better understanding of Italy and Italian
Americans; second, to become a national and international focus for
Italian and Italian American affairs; third, to promote a better
understanding of Italy and of Italian Americans by bringing to the
general public the latest scholarly findings on Italy and Italian
Americans and by organizing cultural activities of general interest.
The Center may be expanded, if funds are available, to become also a
gathering place for scholars with a variety of interests to meet and
discuss new ideas, share on-going work, and provide intellectual
stimulation.
Circolo Italiano D'America
PO Box 1393, Huntington, NY 11743
Email
The Circolo Italiano D'America has the purpose to compliment the
success and brilliance of the Italian forebears,with a future of equal
revolution, be it intellectual, artistic or social. Their goal is to
make academic scholarships available to the next brigade of Marconis,
Coppolas or Fermis.
Italian Historical Society of America
111 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, New York 11201
(718) 852-2929 Email
The focus of the Society has been traditionally on commemorative
ceremonies which bring the accomplishments of great Italians and
Italian-Americans to public awareness. The Society shall continue to
maintain and expand these functions. Additionally, the Society shall
now begin to direct its energies and resources toward reaching a much
wider audience through the use of video, computer technologies as well
as the evolving electronic media. It will be particularly focused in
developing educational materials to be made available to schools which
will bring an awareness of the significant contributions that the
Italian culture has brought to our way of life.
NYPD Columbia Association
PO Box 290735, Brooklyn, NY 11229-0735l
Email
The Columbia Association (1932-2000) is a Not-For-Profit Fraternal
Association of Italian-American Police Officers of the New York City
Police Department. Their mission is to develop an understanding and
appreciation of the contributions made by Italians and
Italian-Americans toward the development of the United States, to
increase knowledge and understanding of the cultural heritage, to
provide a close union for its members, to be part of an ethnic group of
professional law enforcement officers who cherish the spirit of
brotherhood and remembrance of their roots and to promote, practice and
cherish the spirit of brotherhood among peolpe irrespective of race,
creed or religion. →Manhattan →Brooklyn
Pennyslvania
One of the smaller Little Italies, when my Italian ancestors came to
American they all lived in a little town called Roseto, Pennsylvania.
There were some tests done up there back in the '60's about heart care,
helping Roseto make a name for itself. The name Roseto came about
because of its sister city in Italy - Roseto Valafortore. It may not be
the biggest, but it's part of Pennsylvanian/Italian culture →Philadelphia →Pittsburgh
Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin There
is an Italian Community Center in Milwaukee and hosts many
functions through out the year. One of the most popular is Festa
Italiana. A big 4-day festival held outdoors at Milwaukee's
lakefront. See →www.festaitaliana.com
Welcome to the premiere spot for New York's
famous "Little Italy" area. Little Italy is filled with New
York's best traditional Italian restaurants, bars, and cafes.
While walking the narrow streets of Little Italy, you'll fall
in love with the scents, sights, and sounds of Italy, while
never leaving the streets of New York.
Today, Little Italy really lives up to its name as it's
located on Mulberry street between Grand and Canal streets.
The Italian population has dwindled down from 1920 when there
were nearly 70,000 Italians living in the city.
On this site you will find the best restaurants,
bars, and cafes Little Italy has to offer, so kick back as you
browse around and learn about what this enchanting area has to
offer.
Littleitalies
