The Italian Market is the popular name for the South 9th Street Curb Market, an area of

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west.Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

influence. The historical heart of the market is the area of 9th Street between Christian Street and Washington Avenue,Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Phila Place - 9th Street Market (hsp.org/default.aspx?id=1077) the commercial district chartered in 1915, the South Ninth Street Business Men's Association, covered the area between Catharine to Federal and Eighth to Tenth streets, and the market is now generally considered to extend from Fitzwater Street at the north to Wharton Street at the south. The term Italian Market is also used to generally describe the surrounding neighborhood between South Street to the North and Wharton Street to the South running a few blocks to the east and west of 9th street. Although it is considered the social and commercial heart of the Philadelphia Italian community, the Ninth Street Market also contained many Jewish businesses in its inception. In recent years, an influx of immigrants from Latin America, mainly from Mexico and to a lesser degree from Central American countries like Guatemala and El Salvador, has significantly contributed to the Italian Market area, and, in the southern Italian Market in particular, the Market is now also home to many stores and restaurants catering to South Philadelphia's Hispanic population in addition to the

Italian-American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...

community.

History

9th Street, frequently referred to simply as The Italian Market, has its origins as a marketplace in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The area, outside the original boundaries of William Penn's planned city, was an area for immigrants to settle. Italians began to move into the area around 1884, when Antonio Palumbo began receiving Italian immigrants into his boardinghouse. Shops along 9th Street opened up shortly after to cater to the new Italian community and have remained in the area to this day, with many of the present vendors tracing the founding of their businesses back to the first decade of the 20th century. The area continues to attract new immigrants as a significant number of

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

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and Mexican-run businesses have joined the traditional Italian shops in the market. Many new Mexican stores have opened up around the market. Many Latino immigrants also work in the market. The market also plays host to the annual Italian Market Festival with music, activities, and food. One of several curb markets established in the early 20th century offering fresh produce and a variety of ethnic specialty foods, it has evolved into a popular Philadelphia icon. On October 12, 2007, the Market was honored by the dedication of a Pennsylvania State Historical Marker as the "South 9th Street Curb Market" at the NE corner of 9th and Christian Streets. An unofficial historical marker was erected just in front of the since-removed Frank Rizzo mural at 9th & Montrose Sts in 2008. The marker, entitled "The Italian Market," briefly explains about the Italian market area forming a business association in the early 1900s. The officers of the association were of central and southern Italian and eastern Sicilian heritages. The other members of the association were of northern and eastern European, Lebanese and Asian heritages.ItalianAware's Little Italies (Philadelphia)
/ref>italianaware.com
Image of unofficial historical marker
Accessed 31 January 2011.

Today and Pop Culture References

The outdoor market features bright colorful metal awnings covering the sidewalks where vendors of fruit, vegetables, fish, and housewares conduct business year-round. Ground floor shops in traditional Philadelphia

rowhouse In architecture and city planning, a terrace or terraced house ( UK) or townhouse ( US) is a form of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the 16th century, whereby a row of attached dwellings share side walls. In the United Sta ...

s line the street. Many owners had originally lived above their shops, and many still do. The market is open year-round, generally from 9 am to 5 pm, though outdoor stands and cafes often open earlier, and restaurants serve patrons late into the evening. Many businesses are open until lunchtime on Sunday, and closed Monday. The market also plays a role in the

culture of Philadelphia The culture of Philadelphia goes back to 1682 when Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn. Originally inhabited by the Lenape, Philadelphia was envisioned as a place where people could live without fear of persecution because of the ...

, often being included in cultural depictions of the city. For example, The Italian Market was featured in ''

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burge ...

'' and '' Rocky II'', most notably in the running/training montage where a vendor tosses the boxer an orange. The television series ''

Hack Hack may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Hack'' (Unix video game), a 1984 roguelike video game * ''.hack'' (video game series), a series of video games by the multimedia franchise ''.hack'' Music * ''Hack'' (album), a 199 ...

'' also filmed several episodes that featured the Italian Market, and it was also featured on a season 5 episode of the television show ''

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' is an American sitcom created by Rob McElhenney and developed by McElhenney and Glenn Howerton that premiered on August 4, 2005 on FX and later FXX beginning with the ninth season in 2013. It stars Char ...

''. As Philadelphia has

gentrified Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ec ...

, so has the Italian Market. Outdoor seating at cozy cafes, upscale gift stores and gourmet shops are thriving among the market's traditional produce vendors, specialty butchers, and cheese mongers.

Gallery

Image:Italian Market Philadelphia Produce 3264px.jpg Image:Italian_Market_Vegetables_3000px.jpg Image:Italian_Market_Veggies_2268px.jpg Image:Italian Market Philadelphia Vegetables 3264px.jpg

References

External links

History

Today and Pop Culture References

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links