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I didn't realize Chicago metro had such a strong Italian presence comparable to the Northeast. I wonder why ours are not as recognized. I think they stay away from the city at all costs. Growing up I could only count Italians on one hand. On the other hand everyone I knew was Irish or Polish and a few German mixes in there as well but Italians were rare. I also think the South Side did not attract Italians as much as the Northwest Side did because all those places you listed are on the Northwest Side and I am a South Side boy originally. I think the NW Side was more Italian whereas Southwest was Irish and Poles were literally everywhere.
The Polish population in Chicago is huge, with huge numbers of Polish immigrants and speakers on the NW side and adjacent suburbs. Norridge is twice as Polish as it is Italian for example.
From what I understand, the social geography for white ethnics in Chicago is roughly:
Poles - NW and SW sides and suburbs
Italians - NW side and west/northwest suburbs (started out on the Near West Side)
Jews - North Side and northern suburbs (but started out on the West Side)
Irish - SW side and suburbs (started out on the South Side?)
Not really. It gives examples of NJ being the "default" set for Italian Americans in popular culture, but doesn't really say why this is the case.
I think the Sopranos is the obvious answer here. I'm not sure if Jersey would even have that reputation if not for that show, which ranks up there with Game of Thrones and Sex & The City in all-time popularity.
Not really related, but it's interesting that the two most popular archetypes of Italian-American masculinity--James Gandolfini and Robert De Niro--are (were) liberals.
Last edited by BajanYankee; 02-06-2017 at 10:15 AM..
Not really related, but it's interesting that the two most popular archetypes of Italian-American masculinity--James Gandolfini and Robert De Niro--are (were) liberals.
But are they liberals in the characters they portray?
The Polish population in Chicago is huge, with huge numbers of Polish immigrants and speakers on the NW side and adjacent suburbs. Norridge is twice as Polish as it is Italian for example.
From what I understand, the social geography for white ethnics in Chicago is roughly:
Poles - NW and SW sides and suburbs
Italians - NW side and west/northwest suburbs (started out on the Near West Side)
Jews - North Side and northern suburbs (but started out on the West Side)
Irish - SW side and suburbs (started out on the South Side?)
Italians always had a strong presence in the South suburb of Chicago Heights. St. Rocco's was Al Capone's church
Trump did very well in LI, presumably due to his big appeal with Italian Americans.
The Italian-Trump boost may have been limited to the NYC area; it's not obvious in New England though the Italian concentrations aren't higher. Trump didn't get any special boost among Boston area Irish. Although, there was a large swing towards Trump in Rhode Island which has among the highest Italian concentration in New England.
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