Thursday, 25 August 2011

Cultural Local neighborhoods Color the Metro area of Chicago, illinois

By Robert Douglas


Having almost 2.7 million inhabitants, Chicago, il is the third-most largely inhabited metropolis in the us, right after The Big Apple and L . A .. The metropolis numbered less than 200 individuals in 1833, when it was established, however its demographics grew even larger continuously through the years, attaining a record population of 3.6 million in 1950. These days, Chicago contains an incredible variety of inhabitants originating from numerous backgrounds that constantly define, reshape and showcase the city's cultural and ethnic traditions.

Chicago's most prominent ethnic neighborhoods have been established by the large number of immigrants who have settled in the city over the years. Founded at the turn of the 20th century by Naples, Catanzaro and Vizzini immigrants, Little Italy is located on the Near West Side around Taylor Street, between Morgan Street and Ashland Avenue. Though the Italian population began declining in the 1960s, the Italian culture has maintained a strong influence on the neighborhood.

Little Italy is famous these days because of its ethnic dining places for example Francesca's, Pompei or RoSal's Italian Cucina and as the home of the University of Chicago-Illinois. The community also is well-known because of its National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame, where tourists can easily recognize Joe DiMaggio's statue, as well as the Catholic Church of Our Lady of Pompeii-now referred to as the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii-which was established in 1911 and which still performs its mass in Italian.

Chicago's Greektown, which was once home to more than 30,000 residents, was established in the 1840s, when the first Greek immigrants arrived in the city as ship captains. They soon became restaurant owners, concentrated around the Harrison, Blue Island and Halsted areas.

The majority of of Greektown's present dining places were opened up after 1960, when ethnic food items including gyros and saganaki were brought to the marketplace. Greektown's main ethnic dining places normally include Pegasus Restaurant & Taverna, Greek Islands and Rodity. Every August, Greektown remembers the classic Taste of Greece celebration. The National Hellenic Museum, together with folk and fabric displays, may be seen throughout the year.




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