Little Italy, Baltimore
Baltimore's historic Italian-American enclave near the Inner Harbor.
Little Italy is a neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland, known for its Italian-American heritage. It is located three blocks south of the Shot Tower/Market Place Baltimore Metro Subway station, and the southern terminus of the Jones Falls Expressway (I-83) is just north of the neighborhood. The neighborhood is home to St. Leo the Great Roman Catholic Church, established in 1881 (cornerstone laid 1880), and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The church has traditionally been the centerpiece of the largely Catholic neighborhood and is still frequented by local residents along with Italian-Americans from elsewhere in Baltimore with family roots to the neighborhood.
Quick Facts
- Settlement type
- Neighborhood of Baltimore
- Named for
- Italian-American ethnic heritage
Facts from the source article.
History
Little Italy is located just east of the Inner Harbor. It received its name from the large number of Italian immigrant families who moved into the area during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Initially, the neighborhood was home to a diverse community of Irish, German, and Jewish immigrants, but by the start of the 20th century it had become almost exclusively Italian-American. St. Leo the Great Roman Catholic Church, established in 1881 with its cornerstone laid in 1880, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has traditionally been the centerpiece of the largely Catholic neighborhood. The community credits Saint Anthony for saving the neighborhood from the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904, and the feast of Saint Anthony Italian Festival is still celebrated in his honor. In 2020, the Christopher Columbus statue was taken down.
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