Italians of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania

Book excerpt: In 1930, one out of every six Pittsburgh residents was an immigrant. More came from Italy than from any other country in the world. Drawn by chain migration and the prospect of work in coal mines, steel mills, railroads, and other local industries, Italian immigrants contributed greatly to the growth and development of western Pennsylvania and endowed the region with a rich and vibrant ethnic culture that has endured to the present day. In this unprecedented volume, nearly two hundred photographs collected from Italian American families still living in the Pittsburgh region illustrate aspects of the Italian immigrant experience in western Pennsylvania, including work, community, leisure, religion, and family life. Italians of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania tells the uplifting story of the work ethic that these pioneering immigrants brought to Pittsburgh and how they laid a solid foundation on which later generations could build and persevere.