New York City has the largest population of Italian-Americans in the United States of America and North America, many of whom live in ethnic enclaves in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. Most Italian festivals are held in honor of a patron saint and typically include an outdoor religious procession, amateur bands, food and entertainment stalls. Because Italian immigrants came to the United States looking for work and money and not looking for a new life and a new home, Italian-Americans settled where work was available. The Scuola Italiana in Greenwich Village teaches classes in Italian and presents a list of events focusing on Italian culture and history.
Nowadays, there are large Italian districts in Brooklyn's Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge (locations for the movie Saturday Night Fever), Howard Beach and Ozone Park in Queens, Belmont in the Bronx and Staten Island (where 55% of residents are of Italian descent). There are few concentrations of Italians and Italian-Americans in many metropolitan areas of the United States, especially in the industrial cities of the Northeast and the Midwest. This was before New York Harbor and Baltimore became the preferred destinations for Italian immigrants. An urban legend in New York says that the Orientals would have completely taken over Little Italy, if not for a meeting between some of the main wise men and the Chinese leaders of the clamp, who agreed to preserve a small part of the Italian heritage.
The Italian Cultural Institute in New York presents events and exhibitions, as well as Italian language courses. New York Italians is an organization dedicated to preserving and celebrating Italian culture through events, culinary programs, language classes and educational conferences. New Orleans, Louisiana, was the first place for Italians to immigrate to the United States in the 19th century, before Italy was a unified nation-state. One historian states: “They were scattered throughout the New York region and settled in Brooklyn, the Bronx and nearby New Jersey.
Anthony of Giovinazzo (May, Little Italy): a religious procession down Mulberry Street, from Broome to Spring Streets, along with parades, music and excellent Italian food. New York has been called “the Italian-American capital” because it is home to the largest Italian-American population in the United States. Attending one of New York's annual Italian festivals is a great way to experience traditional Italian culture (and celebrate it with Italian-Americans). In addition to the area of lower Manhattan called Little Italy, New York has other pockets of Italian culture.
