Italian Americans of LA area (Los Angeles, San Francisco: live, restaurants, club)

[tonyman]

I'm also Italian American and I was curious about your Italian roots. usually, Italians settled on the East Coast but some came to LA and the area, like my family. My grandpa came here in the 1930's and settled in East LA (lincoln heights) which was ALL Italian then. I don't want this post to get out of hand with bickering and such (as usuasl) and get way off topic. Please, tell me about your family in LA area. Thanks!

[BRinSM]

all the italian americans that i know in LA came from NY or don't really have strong ties to their heritage.

[senzanome]

The area around Alpine and Broadway was known as "Little Italy". There were italian markets, bakeries and restaurants. The only place remaining is the catholic church on North Broadway, north of Chinatown. There is one mass on Sundays, that is still given in italian.

The Italian Heritage Club still holds meetings and dinners there as well.

We lived on Alpine, two blocks west of Broadway, and all our neighboors were Italian. Two blocks up the hill were Eastern Europeans and they had their own church. Two blocks north, was all Chinese families.

[BlankVerse]

Originally Posted by tonyman

I'm also Italian American and I was curious about your Italian roots. usually, Italians settled on the East Coast but some came to LA and the area, like my family. My grandpa came here in the 1930's and settled in East LA (lincoln heights) which was ALL Italian then. I don't want this post to get out of hand with bickering and such (as usuasl) and get way off topic. Please, tell me about your family in LA area. Thanks!

Lincoln Heights did have a lot of Italians back in the day but just be clear EAST LA was far MORE DIVERSE in those days (circa the early 1900's): There were Mexicans/Mexican-Americans, Jews, Italians, and even Japanese-Americans. Not just Italians.


Here's a link (a little dated) about Italians/Italian-Americans in LA:
Italians in Los Angeles: Guide to a Diverse Community

[Visit a Library]

Originally Posted by tonyman

I'm also Italian American and I was curious about your Italian roots. usually, Italians settled on the East Coast but some came to LA and the area, like my family. My grandpa came here in the 1930's and settled in East LA (lincoln heights) which was ALL Italian then. I don't want this post to get out of hand with bickering and such (as usuasl) and get way off topic. Please, tell me about your family in LA area. Thanks!

My mother's family came here from Pennsylvania -- moved to Venice. Mother's mother was from Abruzzo and came in 1903. Mother's Father was a Nordic Sicilian, most likely the posterity of the Viking settlers after the fall of the Roman Empire -- came here in the 20's shortly before his family was forced off their olive plantation in Libya during the "anti-colonial" movement thanks to the panty-waste Brits.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by senzanome

The area around Alpine and Broadway was known as "Little Italy". There were italian markets, bakeries and restaurants. The only place remaining is the catholic church on North Broadway, north of Chinatown. There is one mass on Sundays, that is still given in italian.

The Italian Heritage Club still holds meetings and dinners there as well.

We lived on Alpine, two blocks west of Broadway, and all our neighboors were Italian. Two blocks up the hill were Eastern Europeans and they had their own church. Two blocks north, was all Chinese families.

The Eastside Market on Alpine still survives.

Eastside Market Italian Deli

[Patrolman]

One set of grandparents immigrated from northern Italy and settled in San Francisco in the 1880's and subsequently came to Los Angeles after the 1906 earthquake. The other set of grandparents immigrated from northern Italy and settled in Los Angeles in 1913 or so. I grew up in Lincoln Heights and, later, El Sereno. We always worshipped at St. Peter's Italian Catholic Church on North Broadway and ate at least once a week at Little Joe's.

[Jay100]

My neighbors are Italian. The family immigrated to LA from Italy. The parents are in their 80s and speak Italian as a 1st language.

[CamaroGuy]

The old joke is that when Italian Americans have a get together in Los Angeles it happens in a broom closet.lol

[picwood]

My folks both came from NY during the war. Dad was stationed in the Del Mar Club in SM fixing office machines ( LUCKY!! ). They settled in WLA. Grandparents came from Rome, Naples and BARI

Grandpa was a man ahead of his time, Came here alone at 17. He was not your typical old world Italian. He was actually a Feminist. He told me That it was always good to hold women in high esteem, in the shower, in the sauna but always high esteem, but only one at a time or you could be a big a mist.