Introduction to San Jose Little Italy

San Jose was once an important settling place for Italian immigrants prior to it being transformed from a suburban and rural area to an urban city. However, there is often very little recognition of San Jose’s Italian community seen by the local residents, tourists, and the media. San Jose’s Little Italy was formed after the city was recognized by Italian Jesuits who started to arrive in the Bay Area to help increase the amount of education in the area. In the early 20th century, Italian American immigrants moved further into California and formed enclaves within smaller neighborhoods, which included the West-of-Market neighborhood in San Jose (McDaniel 5). The Italian-American immigrants began to call this neighborhood home.