Adventure to

Little Italy
by Maddie Blaney, Amali Fernando, and Angel Ngai

Demographics
Population: 20,065
Households: 8,246
Median age: 30.26
Median Income: $67,276

Demographics

In terms of age, approximately 24% of residents are between the ages of 25 and
34 (young professionals). This means that Little Italy is a good place to look for
people who are starting their careers. The second largest age group is children
and teenagers, which accounts for about 22% of the population.

Demographics
Little Italy is made of people from
many different socio-economic
backgrounds due to immigration,
urban renewal and gentrification.
The three main ethnicity groups
present in Little Italy are
Caucasian (43%), African
American (33%), and Asian (19%).

The Journey to Little Italy

Step 1: Take the Red Line, heading towards the Loop
Step 2: Get off at Roosevelt
Step 3: Take Bus 12, heading toward Central/Harrison
Step 4: Get off at Throop & Roosevelt
Step 5: Walk for about one block
Step 6: Eat & Enjoy!

History of Little Italy

Italians first began coming to Chicago in the 1850s, the population was
growing rapidly by the end of the 19th century, and most Italians
worked hard labour. Continuing on, there was a huge presence of the
Italian Mafia in 1920s. In present day, it is home to University of Illinois
at Chicago and still a large number of Italian families remain there
today.

Landmarks and activities

National Italian Sports Hall of Fame
Frank Sinatra Performing Arts Center

Piazza DiMaggio
culpture of Joe DiMaggio

Our Lady of Pompeii Church

Arrigo Park
sculpture of Christopher Columbus

University Village and University of Illinois at Chicago

Fun Facts
1) Every June, Little Italy demonstrates its wealth of excellent food
during by having a two-day celebration called Festa Pasta Vino.
2) The most popular food attraction is Conte De Savoia, Chicagos best
authentic Italian grocery store.
3) Although Little Italy spans an area of only .265 square miles, it has a
large population for its size which means it has a high population
density (19,778 people per square mile)

What did we do?

Our first stop was the delicious (of course, Italian) restaurant Ro Sals
where we all sampled some great dishes. You couldnt get calamari like
this anywhere else!

What did we do?

Our second stop was to visit some classic Little Italy architecture at Our
Lady of Pompeii Church.

What did we do?

Our third and final stop was a surprise, but it turned out that the TV
show Chicago Fire was filming in Little Italy, and we got to walk by the
set and watch some of the action.

Personal Reflection:
I personally enjoyed the experience because it was fun to see a part of
Maddie
Chicago that wasnt just downtown or Rogers Park. I also feel much
more confident using public transportation because we took the train
and the bus, which I had never done before. The part I enjoyed the most
was eating, because I love real italian food, and it was a beautiful
restaurant that wasnt too expensive. I also am happy I got the chance
to meet the amazing Amali and Angel, whom I probably wouldnt have
gotten the chance to otherwise!

Personal Reflection: Amali

Little Italy was amazing - I LOVED the lasagna! The whole experience
from start to finish was great. I looked up our directions and planned
our route, which helped me learn about the public transportation here in
Chicago. I also enjoyed getting to know Maddie and Angel while we
were on our adventures.
Favorite Memory: Watching 3 sets of cars almost collide as we were
eating at Ro Sals!

Personal Reflection: Angel

My favorite part of this experience was getting to try authentic Italian
food because the only Italian food Ive tried before this trip was Olive
Garden. I learned so much about how to navigate Chicago including that
in order to get off the bus, you have to pull the string on the side. The
biggest surprise of this adventure was definitely getting to watch the
filming of Chicago Fire. I think that this was an authentic Chicago
experience because on the way back from Little Italy, we passed
through the heart of Chicago and got to see a part of the Chicago
nightlife.

Works cited
"Italian Immigrant Neighborhoods Still Going Strong." Life in Italy. N.p., 1 June 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. <
http://www.lifeinitaly.com/heritage/little-italy.asp>.
Baliva, Zach. "Chicago's Little Italy Neighborhood." Chicago, Illinois Little Italy Neighborhood. Lee W. Nelson, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. <
http://www.inetours.com/Chicago/Little-Italy.html>.
"Little Italy, Chicago." Sussle. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. <http://sussle.org/t/Little_Italy,_Chicago>.
"University Village - Little Italy." Find the Home. Graphiq, Inc., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. <
http://places.findthehome.com/l/144044/University-Village-Little-Italy-Chicago-IL>.
"Little Italy Neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois (IL), 60607 Detailed Profile."City-Data.com. Urban Mapping, Inc., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. <
http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Little-Italy-Chicago-IL.html>.