Old Italian neighbourhoods like East Harlem, Bensonhurst, Little Italy etc used to be overwhelmingly Italian going back 50 years plus, now Ny neighbourhoods have changed hugely and Italians have moved elsewhere. I read that in the 90s Bensonhurst was about 50-60% Italian (had been as high as 80% at one time) now it may be a low as under 20%.
Can someone tell me how and why this kind of migration away from predominately Italian neighbourhoods happened? And where did they go? Is there any neighbourhoods today that would be say 70% plus Italian?

Next generation(s) wanted a backyard, better schools, suburban atmosphere...where did they go? Long Guyland, Bronx, Westchester, Rockland County, Orange County, Bergen County, keep going.

Yes. Most Italian-Americans are of Southern Italy/Sicily backgrounds. The culture was very insular--first loyalty was to family, then extended family, then village. Immigrants tended to build urban neighborhoods populated with people from their extended clan and/or from their villages back in Italy. That's one of the reasons that Italian neighborhoods in cities were the most stable and unchanging. Later generations went to college, intermarried--assimilated. And the old neighborhoods gentrified. Today Bensonhurst's Italian population is shrinking, and there's practically nothing left of Lower Manhattan's Little Italy.

Side story: Manhattan's Greenwich Village once was an Italian neighborhood. Friends of ours owned an antiques store on Bleeker Street in the Village in the Sixties. Turn of the century clothing was very popular among hippies. So, our friends did a lively business buying old clothing from relatives of Italian families who lived and died in the Village. At one point old clothing was the bulk of their business.

Are the neighbourhoods Italians from Bensonhurst etc moved to generally a mixture now of people of white European extraction? Say German, Irish, English etc? Is this the kind of assimilation were talking about?

Yes. At one time in NY most ethnic groups lived amongst themselves. The Germans had areas like Yorkville, and Kleindeutschland (now Alphabet City), the Irish had places like Woodlawn (which had once been German) and Hells Kitchen, he Jews had Flatbush, etc.

As the immigrant's descendants climbed up the economic ladder with time they moved out of these enclaves into homogenized suburbs where they all lived together, and still do. The melting pot.

Not in New York City, unless you want to count parts of Staten Island. But Staten Island is much more suburban than the other boroughs. It's sandwiched in between Brooklyn and North Jersey. But it mirrors North Jersey much more than it does Brooklyn, or any other borough for that matter. It's really part of New York City in name only. In reality, it's as suburban as Long Island, Westchester and North Jersey. And when you think of the old Italian strongholds, you really don't think of the suburbs.

Pizza,

Lost your email, and can't send you a pm.

Could you please shoot me an email I'm pretty sure you must still have it. its *******74@att.net

Just remember what I do for a living and it will come to you, if not please PM me.

Thanks,

Sal

East Harlem people moved to the Bronx.

After Daddio died ma wanted us to move to Brooklyn. So I would not get into any more trouble So we moved to 21 ave I think. But I went to HS in the Bronx and I would go back to east Harlem almost ever day. Ma did not last long after the Brooklyn move. She actually missed her abuser husband.

In Brooklyn there was a guy I immediately got friendly with Nicky Devino and a guy named Sebastine Rego we called him Sonny I met later.

I met a lot of people through Nick. Crazy guy used to go bow hunting for bears. Wanted me to go with him.

He wanted me to rob an armoured car that used to collect money the car waited up the 55 st ramp loading dock to kings plaza. He had the plaza glass plans for all of kings plaza. I really liked Nick so I told him you would not like being a partner of mine. If we did do it together I am much too paranoid to think you would never rat me out if he was pinched for something else. I think he got the message. I think someone did rob the truck that is why today years and years later the armoured car parks on the ave U street entrance to kings plaza near the hotdog stand. I laugh every time I see that truck there.

He did introduce me to places like the Gemini lounge.