Little Italy, Manhattan

Little Italy is a neighborhood in lower Manhattan, New York City, once known for its large population of Italians.

Historically, Little Italy extended as far south as Bayard Street, as far north as Bleecker, as far west as Lafayette, and as far east as the Bowery. As Italian Americans left Manhattan for other cheaper boroughs and neighborhoods, such as the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, the neighborhood recognizable as Little Italy gradually shrank.

Most of the neighborhood has been absorbed by Chinatown, as immigrants from China and other East Asian countries moved to the area. The northern reaches of Little Italy, near Houston Street, ceased to be recognizably Italian, and eventually became the neighborhood known today as NoLIta, an abbreviation for "North of Little Italy". Today, the section of Mulberry Street between Broome and Canal Streets, lined with Italian restaurants popular with tourists, remains distinctly recognizable as Little Italy.

The Feast of San Gennaro is a large street fair, lasting 11 days, that takes place every September along Mulberry Street between Houston and Canal Streets.

Other Italian American neighborhoods in New York City include Little Italy of the Bronx (on Arthur Avenue, in the Fordham section of The Bronx); Bensonhurst, Brooklyn; Howard Beach, Queens; Ozone Park, Queens; Middle Village, Queens; Morris Park, the Bronx; and the whole borough of Staten Island, where 44.5% of the population is of Italian ancestry.

External links

* [http://www.thing.net/~lina/littleitaly.html Little Italy Neighbors Association]
* [http://www.mondomap.com/mondo/index.cfm?bid=157 Neighborhood Map of Little Italy, New York: MondoMap]
* [http://www.nycfoto.com/showPage.php?albumID=681 Photos of Little Italy]