In the 50 years from 1870 to 1920, it’s estimated that more than 20,000 Italian immigrants ended up in Cleveland. The city was on its way up, filled with mills and factories looking for cheap labor, and Italian immigrants were more than willing to pitch in, settling in enclaves within the city. Today, a century later, vestiges of their work and culture can still be found throughout the area.
LITTLE ITALY
There were two main Italian neighborhoods in Cleveland. Big Italy, on the city’s near east side, at one point was a bustling community, with many produce markets. But population started to decline and the neighborhood, blighted, was bulldozed. It’s now a mishmash of freeways leading into downtown.
