Little Italy Historic District - Rochester, NY

borhood was designated as an official city neighborhood on June 2, 2019 by Rochester City Council (the city's main legislative body) and the neighborhood has been recognized at the NATIONAL level as an historic Italian enclave" by the Italian Enclaves Historical Society (see below). Our historic Little Italy neighborhood commemorates the "old neighborhood" in the Lyell Ave and Jay St corridor -- a neighborhood that many generations of local Italian families started out in -- and our Little Italy designation officially memorializes over 150 years of Italian American culture and history in the city of Rochester. The official borders of our neighborhood are Lorimer St to Jay St (North to South), including Jones Square Park, and Broad St to State St , including the soccer stadium, down Lyell Avenue (West to East). The Little Italy Neighborhood sits in both the NW and SW Quadrants of the city. While there aren't many Italians living there now, it is very important to have officially commemorated our long history in the Lyell area with an eye towards revitalizing and developing the area, inclusively, into a modern 21st century urban neighborhood and "Community Benefit District", for all cultures to prosper, thrive in, and enjoy together. Our annual Little Italy Festival of Rochester is one of the city's most inclusive "neighborhood celebrations" ..and it's much more than an ordinary Italian Festival! (You MAY actually see Italian foods, Hispanic foods, Soul food, Asian food, and Jamaican food there, and all types of musical entertainment! The festival is Rochester's biggest and most popular Italian Festival! It is also an inclusive neighborhood celebration...

At our festival we celebrate ALL cultures of the neighborhood and we celebrate the Little Italy Neighborhood's NATIONAL RECOGNITION as a historic Italian American enclave, bringing the entire community together as part of the celebration! See here for more info on our neighborhood's National Recognition: https://www.wetheitalians.com/single_post/rochesters-historic-little-italy-neighborhood-celebrating-national-recognition