NOT INCLUDING New York City or Chicago in this equation!!

Which were the best run, most profitable, internally peaceful, stable families, through the decades? Which families. Which cities? Which states?

PICK YOUR THREE TOP CHOICES IN ORDER OF PREFERENCE:
1)
2)
3)

...Have at it guys!

1)Detroit family
2)Bufalino family
3)Trafficante family

1.) Detroit
2.) KC
3.) New Orleans/Marcello family

Philly up to the early 80's was a well-run minor family.

In more recent years, Montreal has been unbelievably profitable and was peaceful until the chaos began in the mid 2000's. It's off the rails now but in light of just how much money these guys were generating in the 90s and early 2000s, they're well worth a mention. Detractors will say that they there were just a Bonanno crew, but by the late 90s that wasn't true anymore.

I would make Detroit my third choice.

Its very interesting to see the choices of the forum..

Hard to believe I'm picking The John LaRocca Family - Pittsburgh :-)

You need 2 more FOH. I'm asking for 3 families.

Detroit
Buffalo
Philadelphia

Hell, one's always been enough for me ;-)
However since you're asking for 3 then how "bout Detroit and KC. Joe got a check from KC every month.

1) Detroit
2) Detroit
3) Detroit

If by best we are talking raw power?

1. Gambino
2. Chicago
3. Genovese

The control of the unions these three had was so big and in Chicago they had almost total control from Al Capone until the late 90s.

Detroit
Florida
New Orleans

Respectable choices IMO. For my money I like the Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Bufalino families. Many other families were bigger and stronger, and more pervasive in their operations. Some borgatas was extremely wide ranging and influential. But I picked these three because they were also very profitable, but they were also internally peaceful and never garnered the attention of LE the way some of the other crews did.

In that regard, Tampa and New Orleans also deserve honorable mention. Even the Zammuto family in Rockford, IL., was successful enough for a mention.

But other families such as the Zito family in Springfield, IL., and some of the other small crews in California and elsewhere, although quiet and peaceful just weren't substantial enough within Cosa Nostra to fall into this category IMHO.

This sounds like BS, but my father attended school with Frank Zito's children. Always spoke very highly of the family.

It's not BS as much as its just one man's opinion and viewpoint. At the end of the day it's all conjecture anyway.

Frank Zito ran a nice little family. But he wasn't national in scope, nor were he or his crew involved in any major racket operations. They were more a small quiet crew with limited local bootlegging and gambling. But was it a nice family? Definitely. Another example of an extremely small family was that of Carlo Caputo of Madison, WI, who only had a reported 10-12 members. They're footprint was minimal, yet they were still reported as a family.

I mention the other crews I did because they were more substantial, yet still flew under the radar.

But I respect everyone's opinion. As I said, it's only an opinion.

No doubt! Believe both Frank and his brother were at Apalachin. Also being from Central Illinois, as well as being someone who loves mob history, I think it's cool that Springfield, IL had a family that carried a little bit of weight. Your information and knowledge on La Cosa Nostra is fucking unreal man. Like an encyclopedia.

To BigTuna,

Thank you for that compliment.

I actually wrote a very extensive expose for the "Frank Zito Family of Springfield, IL." It's probably the most deeply researched and explicit story about them ever published. I also wrote a very extensive expose about the Joseph Zammuto Family of Rockford, IL., which as you know interacted with the Zito Family as "amici" and associates. Both of these stories are available under the "Friends of Ours" link on my website, www.thenewyorkmafia.com if you're interested.

It lays out the deep history of both families and their rank and file members, pictures, hierarchy charts, the works!

Unbelievable, brother. You are truly a savant. Great work.

Grazie mille!

1) Phily- Bruno era

2) Tie...Trafficante/Marcello. Two southern families with like 10 members each with so much power and influence over private sector, government and unions. May have orchestrated Kennedy assassination.

3) Even though they wouldn't rank high in regard to power and influence nation wide, I'm going to throw this one in there for discussion. The Smaldone era in Denver. Ran a very lucrative gambling operation in Denver and I believe Pueblo for decades. Came off as legit businesspeople. Well liked. Stuck mostly to vice rackets that police turned the other cheek from.

If Frank Sheeran were telling the truth about Buffalino, I'd have him at #1, but historical facts tend to refute a lot of his claims. The movie's implication that he called the shots on the Anastasia hit was pretty laughable, too. Although it was a great scene with great music. Scorsese at his finest.

I agree regarding Trafficante and Marcello. Both small crews yet had tremendous influence in both licit and illicit endeavors. Politics, etc. Very strong!

Sheeran was half off his rocker, or just wanted to cash in to the mafia craze and make a earn, or both! 90% of what he had to say was all fantasy bullshit.

New Orleans
Buffalo
Philly

Detroit. I think their bosses from Zerelli to Tocco spent less than a month in jail
Very few informants and they were essential in building Vegas

New Orleans. Marcello had such a tight wrap over the politicians and etc from east Texas
And the deep South. And not even the.bigger families dare not venture in New Orleans and set flags

Cleveland.from 1931 to 1976. Milano Polizzi and Scalish ran a tight organization for 4 decades until Scalish died. How was Vegas built?? The Jewish Boys from Cleveland combined with the Business sense of John Scalish