Little Italy

District New York, New York

Generations and generations of Italian-Americans, starting in the 1800s, made their home in this neighborhood of Manhattan; the migratory flow from Italy lasted for about a century. Between 1860 and 1880, approximately 68,000 Italians emigrated to New York and in 1920, 391,000 Italians lived in the Big Apple.

The Italians who settled in Manhattan have recreated a subdivision into regions among the various streets of the District: immigrants from northern Italy settled along Bleecker Street, the Genoese chose Baxter Street, while the Sicilians settled along Elizabeth Street. Even today many Italian-Americans have moved to other areas of New York, in "Little Italy" it is still possible to eat authentic Italian food or find good delicatessens, which is rare in other areas of Manhattan.