Ghetto Facts for Kids

This page is about a type of neighborhood. For other uses, see Ghetto (disambiguation).

A ghetto is a part of a city where many people from a specific group live together. This often happens because of rules, social pressures, or economic reasons. Ghettos are sometimes known for being poorer than other areas in a city. Different versions of these areas have existed around the world, each with its own name and group of people.

The main square of what was once the Venetian Ghetto in Italy (2013)

The word "ghetto" first appeared in Venice, Italy, around 1516. It described the area where Jewish people were required to live, keeping them separate from others. However, similar areas might have existed in other early societies. Words like "ghetto" can be found in Hebrew, Yiddish, Italian, Germanic, Old French, and Latin.

In the United States, the term "ghetto" became very important. It is often used to talk about segregation (keeping groups of people apart) and the Civil Rights Movement (the fight for equal rights). Since the 1900s, it has described poor neighborhoods where many people from minority groups live. Some European countries, like Romania and Slovakia, also use the term for poor neighborhoods.

Ghettos in the United States
Modern Meaning of "Ghetto"
Images for kids
See also

Ghettos in the United States

Children in the Ghetto and the Ice-Cream Man — postcard from 1909 in Maxwell Street, Chicago

A scene of Maxwell Street in Chicago around 1908. The title says "THE GHETTO OF CHICAGO". It shows signs in Yiddish for a 'Fish Market'.

The creation of ghettos in the United States is linked to different waves of immigrants coming to the country. It is also connected to people moving within cities. In the mid-1800s, Irish and German immigrants were the first groups to form special neighborhoods called ethnic enclaves in American cities.

Later, between 1880 and 1920, many immigrants arrived from Southern and Eastern Europe. These included many Italians, Poles, and Russians. Jewish immigrants came with the early German wave and also from Eastern Europe. Most stayed in their immigrant communities. But after a few generations, many families moved to new homes in the suburbs after World War II.

Some famous ethnic ghetto areas include:

The Lower East Side in Manhattan, New York. This area was first known for its Jewish population. Later, it became home to Chinese and Latino communities.
East Harlem was once mostly Italian. In the 1950s, it became home to a large Puerto Rican community.
"Little Italy" neighborhoods across the country were mainly Italian ghettos.
Many Polish immigrants settled in areas like Pilsen in Chicago and Polish Hill in Pittsburgh.
Since the late 1900s, Brighton Beach in Brooklyn has become home to many Jewish Russian and Ukrainian immigrants. They moved there after the Soviet Union allowed more people to leave.

Modern Meaning of "Ghetto"

Today, the word "ghetto" is sometimes used as a slang term. People use it as an adjective (a describing word) instead of a noun (a naming word). It can describe something connected to the inner city. More broadly, it can mean something that looks old, worn out, or of low quality.