More Italians

Being of Irish descent in a city that has a lot of Irish immigrants I am for the most part ignorant of Italian immigration.  So I've done a little research and these are some of the things I've learned, and some I've been reminded of.  Many people know this information and probably more.
The first immigration from Italy was from the north because of overpopulation. Many of these immigrants were educated and skilled.  They knew wine making and merchandising food.  The founder of the Bank of America in San Francisco was an Italian food merchant.
The second and major influx of immigrants came later from the Mezzogiorno, middle and southern Italy.  Overpopulation was one factor, natural disasters and poverty were others.  Southern Italy was not rich in the resources valued during the industrial revolution while northern Italy was.  Because political power is often dominated by wealth the north was able to institute a heavy tax burden on the south and create protective tariffs for northern goods, adding to their poverty.  Natural disasters also contributed.  There were eruptions at both Mount Vesuvius and Mount Etna.  The earthquake of 1908 and it's tidal wave killed 100,000 people in the city of Messina alone.
Between 1820 and 1978 5,294,000 people immigrated from Italy.  That represents 10.9% of the total foreign immigration during that period.  Even more Italians immigrated to South America.  The vast majority of American immigrants, about 70%, were young and were called Birds of Passage because almost 30% of these immigrants returned to Italy permanently.  These young men concentrated in the cities to earn as much as they could so they could support their families back home and then return.  In 1890 90% of NYC public works employees and 99% of Chicago street workers were Italian.
In reference to Italians and organized crime, the U.S. Department of Justice reports less than .0025% of Italian Americans have anything to do with organized crime.  That's 5 out of 250,000.
Some of my favorite Italians are at my favorite cafe, DeRobertis on First Avenue between 10th and 11th Streets.  It was founded by Paolo DeRobertis and was originally called Caffe Pugliesse after Paolo's birthplace Puglia, Italy.  Founded in 1894 it is still owned by the DeRobertis family and operated by the family's fourth generation of pastry chefs.  Phil Rizzuto said they made the best cannolis.  I like the pignoli cookies.