Jersey City History?

[LShields]

I'm wondering if anyone on the board either remembers or knows the ethnic breakdown of Jersey City, circa 1940 or so?

I think I've figured out Hudson Blvd, now Kennedy Avenue, but I am less certain about Greenville, and the Jersey City Hights. I also got the impression St Anthony's parish was Italian American...but did it also have a polish neighborhood? What about St. Josesph's?

If you could offer some info, I'd be grateful. Working on some fiction set back in World War Two, the neighborhoods were different by the time I came along in the 60's.

Thanks for the input!

[jedsey]

there was a WPA report in reprint that gave all this information (dated 1936)

foreign born Italians were around 44,000 - Irish were about 28,000 and Poles were around 20,000

that is off the top of my head and I read this excerpt about 12 years ago

the book was available in Barnes and Noble in Hoboken


Holy Rosary was the Italian Church and St Anthony was the Polish church (St Michaels was Irish)

Holy Rosary was the first Italian Parish in New Jersey

[GETNJ]

WPA Guide - New Jersey - Jersey City
http://www.getnj.com/njags/city/jerseycity.shtml