Italian immigrants began arriving in Troy in the late 1880s, escaping the abject poverty of their homeland. They settled in Troy's First and Eighth Wards, just south of the central business district, in an area bustling with activity. The neighborhood contained blocks of two- and three-story brick buildings and a mix of row houses and freestanding homes. Most homes were built on streets adjacent to the western slope of Mount Ida, the city's most prominent geographic feature. Within a few years, these Italian immigrants began opening small businesses, particularly on Fourth Street, the center of the Little Italy neighborhood, and soon became an important part of Troy's cultural heritage.