Little Italy is a neighborhood located in the North End of
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...
on Madison Avenue, near the
Fairfield County Correctional Facility Fairfield may refer to:
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* Fairfield, New South Wales, a western suburb of Sydney.
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and
Central High School, with a high
Italian-American population.
History
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many
European immigrants
European emigration is the successive emigration waves from the European continent to other continents. The origins of the various European diasporas can be traced to the people who left the European nation states or stateless ethnic communities ...
moved to
Bridgeport
Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...
to work in the city's many large-scale industrial facilities. Many
Italian arrivals during this time clustered together in the city's Central End and North End, particularly around Madison Avenue.
Present day
The area around Madison Avenue is still referred to as "Little Italy", and remains home to many Italian restaurants.
However, in recent years, many of the neighborhood's Italian restaurants have moved to surrounding towns following the de-industrialization of Bridgeport.
The area now also has a significant
Portuguese population.
References
See also
*
History of Bridgeport, Connecticut
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Italian-American culture in Connecticut
Little Italys in the United States
Neighborhoods in Connecticut
Geography of Bridgeport, Connecticut
Portuguese neighborhoods in the United States