Little Italy, San Diego, California

Little Italy is a neighborhood in Downtown San Diego, California that was originally a predominately Italian fishing neighborhood. It has since been gentrified and now Little Italy is a scenic neighborhood composed mostly of Italian restaurants, Italian retail shops, home design stores, art galleries, and residential units.

Little Italy is one of the more active downtown neighborhoods and has frequent festivals and events. The neighborhood has low crime rates when compared with other neighborhoods in Downtown San Diego [ [http://mapping.arjis.org/main.aspx San Diego County Regional Crime MAPS] . San Diego Police Department. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.] and is maintained by the Little Italy Neighborhood Association, which looks after trash collection, decorations, and special events.

Geography

Little Italy is located in the northwest end of Downtown. It is located north of Columbia, south of Middletown, southeast of Core, and east of Cortez Hill.

This district is bordered by West Laurel Street to the north, Ash Street to the south, Interstate 5/Front Street to the east and the San Diego Bay to the west. [ [http://www.ccdc.com/resources/resource_files/Neighborhood_Map.pdf Neighborhood Map] . CCDC. Retrieved on 2007-09-18.]

Little Italy is one trolley stop away from the Santa Fe Train Depot, two trolley stops away from American Plaza trolley transfer station, three trolley stops away from the Old Town Transit Center, and is in close proximity to San Diego International Airport.

History

Historically, Little Italy has been a home to Italian fishermen. Many Italians moved to San Diego from San Francisco after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake in search of tuna and other deep-sea sport and commercial fish. []

When Interstate 5 was constructed through Little Italy in the early 1970s, 35% of the neighborhood was destroyed and during the same time the California tuna industry was declining, which caused the neighborhood to suffer nearly 30 years of decline. [ [http://www.littleitalysd.com/History.asp Little Italy History] . The Little Italy Association. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.]

With the creation of the Little Italy Association in 1996, the neighborhood has been going through gentrification and has seen a renaissance as a restaurant district specializing in Italian food and memorabilia. Prior to gentrification, the neighborhood was mainly composed of low-density commercial businesses and single-family detached homes. Currently, the neighborhood is mainly composed of residential units, mostly mid-rises, high-rises, and lofts, with ground floor retail stores and a few commercial buildings.

Development

There are multiple public improvements and high-rise and mid-rise buildings under construction or approved and scheduled for construction. [ [http://www.ccdc.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/projects.printableList/category/all CCDC Projects List] . CCDC. Retrieved on 2007-10-14] The northern part of Little Italy is less densely populated than the southern part of Little Italy, which is comprised mainly of high-rise and mid-rise buildings.

Community groups

Little Italy is a business improvement district maintained by the Little Italy Association (LIA), a public benefit 501(c)3v corporation established in 1996 to oversee and expedite the revitalization and beautification of Little Italy. The Association works for the residents, property owners, and business of Little Italy.

The Italian Community Center of San Diego, a 500 member non-profit organization founded in 1981 for people interested in Italian culture and language, is located in this neighborhood.

Annual events

The majority of events held are related to Italian culture. [ [http://www.littleitalysd.com/events.asp Events] . The Little Italy Association. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.] Most of the events center on and around India street, usually bordered by Grape street to north and Beech Street or Ash Street to the south.

In February, there is Little Italy Carnevale, a Venetian mask and costume competition with entertainment and retail shops.

In April, there is Art Walk, the largest art event in the San Diego/Tijuana region with over 90,000 people attending.

In May, there is Festivale Siciliano, which consists of entertainment, retail shops, and Sicilian cuisine.

In September there is the Italian Motorsport Show.

In October, there is Precious Festa, the largest Italian festival outside of New York City, with over 150 Italian food and crafter booths, three stages of entertainment, the Corso degli Artisti Street Painting Festival, a stickball tournament, and beer and wine gardens

References

External links

* [http://www.icc-sd.org/Home.asp Italian Community Center]
* [http://www.sandiego.org/article_set/Visitors/32/807 Little Italy] from [http://www.sandiego.org/ San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau]
* [http://www.littleitalysd.com/splash/index.asp Little Italy Neighborhood Association]
* [http://www.taddsd.com/ The Art and Design District] Annual events
* [http://www.artwalksandiego.org/ Art Walk]
* [http://sandiego.about.com/od/entertainmentthearts/a/artwalk.htm Art Walk Guide] from About.com
* [http://www.chalklastrada.com Chalk La Strada]
* [http://www.sicilianfesta.com/ Festa Siciliana]