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THE PEOPLE OF NEW YORK The population of New York has contained members of many races ever since the 17th century. Now about 40 percent of its inhabitants are immigrants or have parents who were.

The Irish Thousands of Irish people came to New York in the mid-19th century when famine hit Ireland. Many settled in an area of Manhattan called Hell’s Kitchen, where they lived in poverty. Now the city’s Irish population is huge—more Irish people live in New York than in Dublin. They organize one of the most exciting events of the year, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Little Italy Thousands of Italians emigrated to New York from the late 19th century. Most settled in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, in an area that became known as Little Italy. There they lived in crowded tenements , opened Italian restaurants, and held Italian festivals. Now most New York Italians live in the Belmont area of the Bronx, but Little Italy has kept its unique style.

New Yorkers from many backgrounds live side by side. Here all kinds of people mingle at Coney Island Beach.

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New York’s Jews Jews moved into the Lower East Side at about the same time as Italians. There they built synagogues and opened shops selling kosher food. Many Jews still live in the area, but others have moved out of Manhattan. There is now a large community of Hasidic Jews in the Crown Heights area of Brooklyn.

⌂ Orthodox Jews stroll through Chinatown. The boy in the front of the picture wears the traditional Jewish yarmulke (skullcap).

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Major World Cities