Little Italy, Vancouver

Little Italy in Vancouver, Canada is an area in the eastern part of the city, in the Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood, often synonymous with the Commercial Drive area. Historically this area was an enclave of ethnic Italians and Italian businesses. Today, after a period of steady decline, it is again a multi-cultural, vibrant commercial centre.

History

Starting in the 1930s, most Italian immigrants settled in what is today the Strathcona district; however, by the 1940s and 1950s most Italian immigrants to Vancouver settled in the northern Commercial Drive area, and were widely credited with revitalizing the neighbourhood. Most Italian Canadian businesses and cultural facilities located along Commercial Drive and, since Italians were in the majority in the adjacent residential areas, Little Italy became a true ethnic Italian enclave. By the 1960s, many Italian businesses also sprang up in the Hastings and Nanaimo area, but the cultural core remained on Commercial Drive. Ethnic Italians were very influential in this area from the 1940s until the mid 1970s.

By the mid 1970s, a combination of cultural assimilation, non-Italian immigration, movement to the suburbs, and a schism within the Italian communityFact|date=April 2008 led to the decline of Italian influence and concentration in Little Italy. Today, the area is again a vibrant cultural and business centre in eastern Vancouver, but after a succession of other immigrant and cultural groups, the Italian influence has greatly diminished.

Italians in Metro Vancouver today

Today, there are still many Italian Canadian businesses and cultural organizations in Vancouver, and people of Italian ancestry living in the Greater Vancouver area number about 75,000.Fact|date=April 2008 However, no particular single area is predominantly Italian in concentration.

Burnaby Heights is not predominantly Italian, but Italian-Canadians have a distinct presence in the neighbourhood. East Hastings Street, between Boundary and Duthie, is another commercial hub for the Italian community. There are many Italian cafes, delis, and restaurants along the street, including stores which import goods from Italy. Two Roman Catholic churches offering masses in Italian, St. Helen's and Holy Cross, are located nearby. Older, first-generation Italians often congregate in nearby Confederation Park to play Bocce.

External links

* [http://vantech.vsb.bc.ca/project/noframes/thedrive/subtopic6.html Little Italy on Commercial Drive]
* http://www.virtualvancouver.com/italytown.html