Italian

Denver Community Overview

In the mid 1800s, the first Italian immigrants journeyed to Colorado as many pioneers did, with hopes of wealth and land ownership. Some settled in the Platte Valley to farm vegetable plots as they did back in Italy. Others became miners, business owners, and railroad workers. Italian speaking neighborhoods grew in the northwest part of the city between I-25 and Sheridan Blvd. By 1910, Italians represented nearly 14 percent of Colorado’s total population. Beginning in the 1950s, economic and social prosperity and the ability of the Italians to assimilate into the greater American culture started a transition in Denver’s “Little Italy” with residents moving on to other areas of the city. Today approximately 200,000 Italian Americans live in the Denver Metro area.

Community Resources

Vice Consul Maria Scordo Allen
7325 S. Jackson St.
Centennial, CO 80122
303-224-9927
303-224-9930 fax
www.italyemb.org
email: italyconsulcolo@msn.com

Colorado Italian American Organization (CIAO)
P.O. Box 117
Wheatridge, CO 80034-0117
303-420-7260
email: leericciardi@aol.com
The mission of the CIAO is to promote the introduction and learning of the Italian language in Colorado schools, to preserve Italian culture and heritage, to expand and increase cultural ties between the U.S. and Italy, and to establish and maintain an active and vibrant network among the Italian and Italian American organizations and individuals.

Order Sons of Italy in America
www.osia.org

Sons of Italy New Generation Lodge 2702
P.O. Box 140356
Edgewater, CO 80214
303-832-6742
www.osianewgeneration.com

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church
3549 Navajo St.
Denver, CO 80211
303-455-0447
email: omcchurch@qwest.net

Mother Cabrini Shrine
20189 Cabrini Blvd.
Golden, CO 80401
303-526-0758
www.den-cabrini-shrine.org

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