Italians in Chicago facts for kids
Chicago and its nearby towns have a long history with people of Italian descent. As of 2000, about 500,000 people in the Chicago area said they were of Italian heritage.
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History of Italians in Chicago
The very first Italian to visit the area that would become Chicago was Enrico (Henri) Tonti. He came from Gaeta in the Lazio region of central Italy. Tonti was a soldier working for the French.
In the fall of 1680, Tonti was part of the La Salle Expedition. He was the second-in-command. He and Father Membré traveled through the Chicago portage. This was a water route connecting the Illinois valley to Green Bay.
On January 7, 1682, Tonti met La Salle in Chicago. With 21 other Frenchmen and 30 Native Americans, they used the portage. They were on their way to the Mississippi River, which they reached in April 1682.
Later, in 1697, Henri Tonti and others got permission to set up a trading post in Chicagou. Tonti's cousin, Pierre de Liette, managed this post. De Liette kept a journal about his life with the Illinois native people. He described Chicago as having "unwooded prairies" and a "most temperate climate."
In the 1850s, more Italians began to settle in Chicago. Many of the first ones were from Genoa. They often worked as merchants, restaurant owners, or fruit sellers. Some also worked with plaster, especially those from Lucca.
A second, larger wave of Italian immigrants arrived between 1880 and 1914. These newcomers mostly came from rural areas in southern and central Italy. Many were young men, often with little education or money. By 2014, most Italian Americans in Chicago were descendants of this group. In 1920, Chicago had the third-largest Italian population in the United States. Only New York City and Philadelphia had more.
Between 1945 and 2005, about 25,000 more Italians came to Chicago. Many were from Calabria, Apulia, and Sicily. These new immigrants were often more educated and interested in starting businesses. They helped bring new energy to Italian American life in the city. Many settled in suburbs like Addison, Berwyn, Elmwood Park, Melrose Park, Norridge, and Westchester. However, some Italian residents have moved out of Elmwood Park and Melrose Park over time.
After World War II, many "Little Italies" in Chicago changed or disappeared. Some areas were torn down to build new things. The University of Illinois Chicago, highways, and public housing replaced old Italian neighborhoods. This led more Italians to move to the suburbs west of Chicago.
By 1970, over 200,000 Italian immigrants and their children lived in the Chicago area. This was about 3% of the total population. Most of them lived in suburban towns like Berwyn, Cicero, and Oak Park.
Where Italians Lived in Chicago
By 1980, about 20,000 of the 138,000 Italians in Chicago lived in the Belmont-Cragin, Dunning, and Montclare areas. These areas had the highest number of Italian residents.
One area, near 24th Street and Oakley Avenue, had many people from Tuscany. Many of them came from towns like Bagni di Lucca and Montecatini Terme. A lot of people in this area worked at the McCormick Reaper plant. This neighborhood was considered one of the best-preserved "Little Italies" in Chicago in 1990.
The first Italian American community in Chicago was near what is now the Merchandise Mart. This area in the Near North Side had residents from Genoa and Lucca. Another area, sometimes called "Little Sicily," also in the Near North Side, had 20,000 Italian Americans by 1920.
Other Italian communities were found across the city. People from Ricigliano and Salerno lived near Polk Street Station. The community around Santa Maria Addolorata Church had people from Bari and Sicily. The Taylor Street neighborhood in the Near West Side was home to Italians from many regions. These included Abruzzo, Bari, Basilicata, Calabria, Lucca, Marche, Messina, Naples, Palermo, and Salerno.
The Grand Crossing area had migrants from Calabria. An area at 69th Street and Hermitage had people from Salerno. Roseland had an Italian community from Piedmont. Pullman had Italians from the Altopiano di Asiago in Veneto, many of whom were brickmakers.
Many Italians also lived north of the Chicago River in Lincoln Park. In 1936, a statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi was placed in Lincoln Park. About 5,000 Italian Americans attended the unveiling.
By 1920, half of Chicago Heights was Italian. Most of these Italians came from towns like Amaseno and Caccamo. Blue Island also had an Italian settlement. The men there were from Ripacandida and worked on railroads.
Italian Organizations and Media
In 1907, the Italian-American Chamber of Commerce opened. This group helps promote trade between the United States and Italy.
Historically, there were many Italian clubs, like the Amasenese Society and the Maroons Soccer Club. Chicago has about 150 Italian organizations. In 1945, the Italian Welfare Council started. It offered fun activities, education, and social support. Later, the Italian American Civic Committee took its place. This group organizes the annual Columbus Day parade.
Since 1960, the newspaper Fra Noi has been published. By the 1950s and 1960s, Italian television and radio shows were also available. In earlier times, there were about twelve radio programs in the Italian language.
Religion
The Italian community in Chicago has always been mostly Catholic. Some Italian churches in the city center have closed or changed. This happened as many Italians moved to the suburbs. Also, more Catholics from other backgrounds moved into the city.
The Church of the Assumption opened in 1881. It was the first Italian Catholic church in Chicago. The Scalabrian Church of Santa Maria Incoronata served Italians in what is now Chinatown. In the 1980s, it became a mission of St. Theresa Church to serve Chinese people.
Churches in the West Side of Chicago that served Italians included Our Lady of Pompeii and Holy Guardian Angel Churches. A hospital founded by Mother Cabrini was also there.
Italians in Pullman and Roseland attended the Scalabrian Church of St. Anthony of Padua. The local church in Chicago Heights was San Rocco. It opened in 1906 and closed in 1990. The Italian community in Blue Island was served by the church of San Donatus.
Italian religious street festivals have been a long tradition in Chicago. Several of them still happen today.
The Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo (Scalabrini Fathers) have several centers in the western suburbs. These include the Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia in Stone Park. They also run the Sacred Heart Seminary in Melrose Park. The Villa Scalabrini Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Northlake opened in 1951.
Education
In the 1950s, Our Lady of the Angels School in western Chicago had mostly Italian American students. In 1958, a fire happened at Our Lady of the Angels School. This event affected the Italian American community in Chicago. The fire was one reason why people started to leave the area. The Italian American population around the church and school began to decrease in the 1960s.
Legacy
Paper Fish, a novel by Tina De Rosa, is set in Little Italy. This was the Italian community in the Near West Side of Chicago.
Notable Residents
This list includes people from Chicago and its suburbs:
- Theresa Amato (attorney and campaign manager)
- Joseph Bernardin (cardinal)
- Nicholas Bua (judge)
- Frances Xavier Cabrini (saint)
- Harry Caray (sportscaster)
- Dino D'Angelo (real estate)
- Aldo DeAngelis (Illinois State Senator)
- Tina De Rosa (author of Paper Fish)
- Dominick DeMatteo (founder of the Dominick's supermarket chain)
- Dennis Farina (actor)
- Enrico Fermi (nuclear scientist)
- Fred Gardaphé (writer)
- Neil Giuntoli (actor)
- Joe Mantegna (actor)
- Antonio Pasin (manufacturer of Radio Flyer Wagons)
- Allison Rosati (journalist)
- Anthony Scariano (politician)
- Gary Sinise (actor)
- Rocco Sisto (actor)
- Jeremy Sisto (actor)
- Anthony Tortoriello
- Ron Turano (bread business)
