So obviously there's still some crews of the 5 families in Manhattan. So since many of the neighborhoods are gone, where do they even operate in now?
Nicky you still have a presence there without physically being there.
That's right. The main mob "presence" in Manhattan is in construction. There aren't any "Little Italiies" left in Manhattan. So as far as things like social clubs and numbers stores go, well, they're pretty much all gone. The wiseguys split for the suburbs and the outer boroughs, just like Italian Americans in general.
It's funny, though. The old Little Italy (Canal Street to Houston Street, and the Bowery to around Lafayette Street) has gotten to be one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Manhattan. A full one bedroom will run you at least $3000 a month down there. It's just ironic because the reason that the Italians all left was to assimilate into "nicer" neighborhoods. Today that's one of the nicest neighborhoods in Manhattan.
It's a shame that those very same Italian Americans who want to move back there now are often priced out. According to the 2010 census, there isn't a single Italian born resident living in that zip code. It's all over.
