There are localized concentrations of Italian Americans in many metropolitan areas of the United States, especially in the industrial cities of the Northeast and Midwest, as well as certain cities in California. Today, the state of New York has the largest population of Italian-Americans, while Rhode Island and Connecticut have the highest overall percentages in relation to their respective populations.
In contrast, most of the rest of the country (exceptions being South Florida and New Orleans) have fewer Italian-American concentrations.
Daphne – Prior to the 1978 annexation of the Lake Forest subdivision, Daphne was a heavily Italian community, and pre-1978 Daphne territory remains Italian, with street names such as Guarisco. The Archdiocese of Mobile considers Christ the King Parish in Daphne an Italian-American parish.
Lake Village, a farming community in southeastern Arkansas, enticed a number of families from northern Italy to become sharecroppers in the 1890s. Following a harsh and deadly winter, about half the families left and established Tontitown, west of Fayetteville, Arkansas[2] in Benton/Washington counties.
Cotati – Italian community in the area's grape-growing industry.[3]
Excelsior District, San Francisco – Italian-American Social Club is on Russia St., and Calabria Brothers Deli is around the corner on Mission Street.[4]
Napa – Little Italy is the East Napa historic neighborhoods of First-Juarez-Third Streets and Alta Heights. The Napa Valley wine industry owes its heritage to Italian vintners.[9]
North Beach, San Francisco – baseball legend Joe DiMaggio grew up here. The Italian Heritage Parade (formerly the Columbus Day Parade) is the oldest in the U.S. and one of the largest. North Beach is also the home of City Lights Books, which helped to give birth to the Beats literary movement.[10]
Sacramento metro area – descendants of the 1849 California Gold Rush.[9] In December 2021, 49th to 59th streets and J Street to Folsom Boulevard of East Sacramento was designated as "Little Italy". The neighborhood historically had many Italian immigrants in the early 1900s, with businesses about, with lesser in number today.[11]
San Jose – San Jose's old Italian neighborhoods are Goose Town, North San Jose and the River Street/San Pedro Neighborhood. Each of these neighborhoods consisted of an Italian Church built by the Italian American community. The River Street Neighborhood is currently being revitalized and is now referred to as Little Italy San Jose. This neighborhood is located adjacent to the SAP Center and is anchored by a Gateway Arch and Italian Cultural Center & Museum and has several authentic Italian businesses.[12]
Denver – "Little Italy" has its roots in the Highlands neighborhood of North Denver. Italian miners, railroad workers and farmers developed Colorado in the late 19th century, and northern Italians are well represented. And South Denver along with Cherry Creek has a number of Italian-Americans.
Pueblo – Hundreds of Sicilians, particularly, settled in Pueblo at the turn of the 20th century. They have influenced the culture of the city powerfully.
Trinidad – retirement community in the Sunbelt region of the US typically have many elderly Italian-Americans from the east coast.
Connecticut
19.3% of Connecticut's population claims Italian ancestry, making it the second most Italian state in the U.S. after Rhode Island.
Detroit (Eastern Market is sometimes referred to as Detroit's "Little Italy" and has fewer Italian-Americans and Italian residents than it did in the early 1900s, but some Italian stores and businesses in the area; East Detroit generally had a higher proportion of Italian immigrants and Italian-Americans)
New Jersey municipalities with over 25% of the population identifying themselves as of Italian ancestry (in those municipalities where at least 1,000 residents identified their ancestry):[40]
Fairfield – 50.3% (highest percentage for a town in the United States)
Hammonton – 45.9% (second highest percentage for a town in the United States)
The state of New York has the largest population of Italian Americans, at 3.1 million people. The majority of Italian Americans in New York City originated from southern parts of Italy.
New York City
New York City is home to the largest Italian-American population in North America and third largest Italian population outside of Italy, according to the 2000 census. See also Italians in New York City for more info.
Staten Island – The borough has the highest proportion of Italian Americans of any county in the United States and North America. Over 200,000 residents claim Italian heritage (55%).
19% of Rhode Island residents are Italian American, the greatest percentage of any state. 199,180 of Rhode Island's population of 1,048,319 claim Italian ancestry.
Approximately 11% of the combined population of "Mountaineer Country", collectively the north central West Virginia cities of Clarksburg, Fairmont and Morgantown, claim Italian ancestry, mostly from Italian immigrants recruited to work in mining and glass manufacturing.[59]
Gabaccia, Donna R. "Inventing “Little Italy” Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era 6.1 (2007): 7-41.
Gabaccia, Donna R. "Global geography of ‘Little Italy’: Italian neighbourhoods in comparative perspective." Modern Italy 11.1 (2006): 9-24. online
Garroni, Maria Susanna. "Interpreting Little Italies: Ethnicity as an Accident of Geography" in William J. Connell, and Stanislao Pugliese, eds., The Routledge History of Italian Americans (2018) pp. 163–178.
Tirabass, Maddalena. "The Little Italies of the early 1900s: From the Reports of Amy Bernardy" in William J. Connell, and Stanislao Pugliese, eds., The Routledge History of Italian Americans (2018) pp. 152–162.
