Metro Detroit's "Little Italy"? (Sterling Heights, Taylor: house, school, living)

[Wingnatic]

Oh I just have to get me some italian sausage for the grill next shopping trip

[ckhthankgod]

I always wondered where Detroit's Italian community was centered around. I think Sonny Bono was from Detroit.

[Blue Grass Fever]

Speaking of "Little Italy", i've recently been to Boston's Little Italy called the North End in the downtown area, which is neat in and of itself.

What i'm trying to get at is does anyone see lots of similarities between the Oakwood Heights(By Rouge River) area of Detroit and the North End of Boston? For one, the Italians settled on the river in both areas and nearby, there was a huge industrial along with some of the cosmetics of the neighborhood that were similar.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by Blue Grass Fever

Speaking of "Little Italy", i've recently been to Boston's Little Italy called the North End in the downtown area, which is neat in and of itself.

What i'm trying to get at is does anyone see lots of similarities between the Oakwood Heights(By Rouge River) area of Detroit and the North End of Boston? For one, the Italians settled on the river in both areas and nearby, there was a huge industrial along with some of the cosmetics of the neighborhood that were similar.

It's kind of similar to the area of Syracuse that is now called Little Italy, eventhough many Italians have moved to the northern suburbs. Many are still there though and much of that area was close to some factories and the Inner Harbor and Onondaga Lake. Considering that many Italians came to work in Northern factories(just like Eastern Europeans like the Polish, other Southern Europeans and Blacks from the South), it doesn't surprise me that the neighborhoods that Italian communities are located in are close to industrial areas.

There's another community by the name of Solvay in my area right on Onondaga Lake that was started around the Solvay Process Plant. It is another community known for it's high Italian American population and many came from the Northern Italian province of Tyrol.

[Al M]

Originally Posted by OhEdo

I am assuming this is a joke? If not, calling Italian Canadians just "Canadian" is tantamount to saying the same for all Americans, regardless of ethnic background (of course, people in other countries often argue just that). Since you have called yourself a history buff, Coldjensens, I hope you are joking in which case I apologize for the lecture.

Be that as it may, according to friends/colleagues from Windsor, Windsor does have a fairly vibrant Italian community with lots of restaurants.

Ditto!

[lavidadulce]

The 19th century Roma Cafe near Eastern Market is the oldest restaurant in Detroit, and it is run by an Italian family that has been in the area for quite some time... not sure if they were part of a larger community, but it would make sense.

[mikedpd9]

sorry, there are not many italians in detroit. if there are, they are in the suburbs.

[gofergal]

I don't think there is a certain area of metro Detroit where you can stick a pin in the map and say "oh the Italians live there". You could say the Polish used to live in Warren & Hamtramck and the Arabic folks in Dearborn & Sterling Heights, but not so much about the Italians. I come from an Italian family and all our family lived in Warren & Sterling Heights. There are a lot of Italians in Sterling Heights and Shelby as well, but I don't recall one specific place where they all congregated.

That said, there are a lot of great Italian businesses around here. Ventimiglia's market on Dodge Pakr in Sterling Heights, the Andiamo chain, Randazzo's, Picano's Restaurant in Troy (incidentally the ONLY restaurant in which my immigrant uncle from Italy will eat Italian food other than at home), and many more. You can find the good Italian places; you just have to look or ask around.

[lavidadulce]

Luciano's on Garfield and 17 Mile is also excellent and, as I've been told by an Italian friend of the family, quite authentic Italian food.

[blackmike]

There are at least 2 books about Italians in Detroit:

Italians in Detroit
Amazon.com: Italians in Detroit (MI) (Images of America) (9780738539850): Armando Delicato: Books

Detroit's Holy Family Church: 100 Years of Sicilian Tradition
Amazon.com: Detroit's Holy Family Church: 100 Years of Sicilian Tradition (Images of America: Michigan) (9780738552170): Bonnie Leone: Books