Little Italy is a Lower Manhattan neighbourhood whose changing boundaries and businesses reflect migration and urban change. Mulberry Street remains its best-known spine, where restaurants, shops and seasonal events sit within a wider community increasingly shared with neighbouring Chinatown.
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Mulberry Street tells a more complicated story than its familiar restaurant façades suggest. Italian immigrants and their descendants shaped this Lower Manhattan neighbourhood, building businesses and community institutions as the area changed through the twentieth century. City planning documents describe how Little Italy’s boundaries and retail character have shifted, while Chinatown expanded alongside it.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- Mulberry Street is a central corridor in Little Italy.
- New York City established a special zoning district to help preserve its historic and cultural character.
- Little Italy’s boundaries and businesses have changed as neighbouring communities have grown.
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