General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

[PolackTony]

Where Chicago differs from NYC is that for the former, the Italian population was already largely suburbanized by the 1980s. While some remained in Armour Square, the Italian subsection of Bridgeport, and (to a lesser extent) some holdouts dug in around the old Grand Ave and Taylor St sections on the Westside, most of the Italians remaining in the city of Chicago had by then become strongly concentrated in the far NW Side neighborhoods surrounding N Harlem Ave (Dunning, Montclare, Belmont Heights, Schorsch Village, Galewood). While in the city limits, this was basically a suburban area, bordering suburbs like Elmwood Park and Norridge, and a second/third gen Italian settlement area, not one of the “old neighborhoods” in the inner city (so, kinda similar to SI if we were comparing it to NYC). What’s happened in the decades since has been a major outflux of Italians from this area and from the various Italian inner ring suburbs to further out suburbs and exurbs.

While many NY Tri-State Itals were also suburbanized by the 1980s, NYC retained comparatively more Italians within the city limits until later than Chicago. There are a number of ways that the two cities are incomparable, and not really worth getting into the weeds on it here. But things are heading in the same direction in many of the remaining Italian communities in the boros now too. Compared to, say, East Harlem, Bensonhurst is “still sort of a thing”, but that phrase would be doing a lot of work. The decline there is already very significant.

[Ivan]

While in the city limits, this was basically a suburban area, bordering suburbs like Elmwood Park and Norridge, and a second/third gen Italian settlement area, not one of the “old neighborhoods” in the inner city (so, kinda similar to SI if we were comparing it to NYC).

I like this comparison a lot.

Anyway you had it right the first time. "Dwindling" is le mot juste for those places. "Little Italy" is spread out in the 'burbs now, plus a fair amount scattered throughout the Sun Belt etc.