Little Italy is Becoming Littler
Apartamentos en NY
In 1950, about half of the 10,000 New Yorkers living in Little Italy were Italian-Americans. The streets were bursting with children and were full of exchanges in Italian. 1 in 5 residents were born in Italy, who lived alongside their second- and third-generation neighbors.1
In 2000, the census found that the Italian-American population was only 6%.2 44 were Italian-born – a much smaller number than the 2,149 in the 1950s.3
Mulberry and Grand Streets are the only streets that feel like they are still part of Little Italy, as they are crowded with Italian restaurants and bakeries.4
The number of Italian residents in Little Italy has been decreasing since the 1960s, when the immigration from Italy dwindled and Italian-Americans flourished, leading them to move to other parts of the city and to the suburbs.5
Little Italy NY
The rents in Little Italy have skyrocketed due to the cleanliness, low crime, and quaintness. For example, an 800-sq. foot one-bedroom apartment in a six-story building, located at 145 Mulberry Street, was being sold for $4,200 a month. Owners of a two-bedroom co-op on Grand Street are selling this apartment for $1.5 million.6
Many of the Italians have moved to Staten Island due to their financial prosperity. Others have moved to Belmont, Bronx, the “second Little Italy,” complete with Italian delis, bakeries, and food stores.7
Since Italians have been moving out of Little Italy on the Lower East Side due to their financial success, we know that Italians have fully assimilated and immersed themselves into the American culture. They are becoming educated, which means more work at white-collar jobs, enabling them to become successful.
Pier Luigi Celli, director general of Rome’s LUISS University, wrote a letter to his son, advising him to go abroad after graduating: “This country, your country, is no longer a place where it’s possible to stay with pride … That’s why, with my heart suffering more than ever, my advice is that you, having finished your studies, take the road abroad. Choose to go where they still value loyalty, respect and the recognition of merit and results.”8
Many of Italy’s smart, young adults are leaving the country to find opportunities elsewhere, similar to their counterparts in the late 1800s. A poll conducted by a Milanese recruitment agency, Bachelor, found that 33.6% of graduates felt that they needed to leave Italy in order to benefit from their education. One year later, that number increased to 61.5%.9
