Did ethnic enclaves have a positive or negative impact on immigrants in the late 1800s? Provide evidence to support your response. based on this

As a result, immigrants tended to settle in ethnic enclaves, or neighborhoods, within larger cities. Little Italy, Chinatown, and many other such communities developed in cities, built around a shared language and culture. These enclaves typically formed in the poorest areas of the city. These were the only places where immigrants could afford housing. As a result, ethnic enclaves were among the most crowded and unhealthy neighborhoods in any city.

Despite this, enclaves provided the comforts of home in an overwhelming new land. Here, immigrants could buy newspapers in their own language. Ethnic food stores sold all of the ingredients needed to make their favorite meals. Living in ethnic communities helped immigrants hold on to their traditions. Catholic immigrants, in particular, established churches where they could worship with people who shared their language and culture. They also started church-based parochial schools for their children. Immigrant families supported each other, sometimes financially. Fraternal organizations, or men’s clubs, were popular. The Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal service organization, was established to provide life insurance for families in the event that the main wage earner died.

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Ethnic enclaves had a mixed impact on immigrants in the late 1800s: while they provided a supportive community that allowed immigrants to maintain their cultural traditions and access familiar goods and services, they were often located in overcrowded and unhealthy areas that reflected the socio-economic challenges facing new arrivals. Ultimately, these enclaves offered comfort and solidarity in a new land, but at the cost of living conditions that were often less than ideal.