Gary, Indiana

Gary

Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is Indiana's eleventh-most populous city with 69,093 people as of the 2020 census. The city is famous for its big steel mill called Gary Works. This mill is part of U.S. Steel and is the largest in North America. Gary is close to Lake Michigan, just 25 miles (40 km) southeast of downtown Chicago.

The city was named after Elbert Henry Gary, a lawyer who helped start the United States Steel Corporation. It was built in 1906 to support the steel mills. It once had many jobs, but since the 1970s, many jobs left, and fewer people live there now.

Gary has a rich history with African-American culture. It was the first city in the Midwest to integrate its public schools in 1945. In 1968, it elected the country's first Black mayor, Richard Hatcher. The city is also known for being the home of the famous Jackson family, including singers Michael and Janet Jackson. Today, Gary has its own airport, Gary/Chicago International Airport, and a baseball team called the Gary SouthShore RailCats.

History

Founding and early years

Further information: Gary Plan

Gary, Indiana, was founded in 1906 by the U.S. Steel corporation. It was the home for its new plant, Gary Works. The city was named after lawyer Elbert Henry Gary, who started the United States Steel Corporation.

Gary had some trouble during the 1919 General Steel Strike. On October 4, 1919, a riot happened on Broadway, the main street in downtown Gary. The governor called in troops to help keep peace.

The steel jobs helped Gary grow fast. Many people moved there from far away. By the 1930 United States census, Gary was the fifth largest city in Indiana.

Post-World War II

Gary's success came from steel. When steel jobs left in the 1960s, Gary began to shrink, like other cities that depended on one industry. U.S. Steel cut many jobs, and by 2015, there were far fewer workers.

Racial changes

Gary's population changed over time. More African-American and Hispanic people moved there. The city elected one of the nation's first African-American mayors, Richard G. Hatcher.

U.S. Steel

U.S. Steel still makes steel but with fewer workers. Gary has tried to get new businesses, like casinos, but has had a hard time.

21st century

Gary has closed many public schools. In 2021, a large Hard Rock Casino opened. It had memorabilia from the Jackson 5 and a performance hall.

Geography

The city of Gary is located at the southern end of an old lake bed called Lake Chicago and next to Lake Michigan. The soil in Gary is often sandy, especially just below the surface. People have been taking sand from this area for over a hundred years to make glass.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Gary covers an area of 50.663 square miles (131.22 km²). Most of this is land, with a small part being water.

Gary is shaped like a T. Its northern border is along Lake Michigan. In the far northwest, Gary touches Hammond and East Chicago. One road between Hammond and Gary, 165th Street, has been closed since 1981 because of flooding. In the far east, Gary has a neighborhood called Miller Beach, which touches Lake Station and Portage. Gary’s far south touches Griffith, Hobart, Merrillville, and unincorporated Ross. Gary is about 30 miles from downtown Chicago, called the Chicago Loop.

Gary includes part of Indiana Dunes National Park, with places like Miller Woods, part of Long Lake, and the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education. Much of this area is in Gary’s Miller Beach neighborhood, but the park also reaches into downtown Gary.

Climate

Gary has a humid continental climate, meaning it has four different seasons. In summer, temperatures often reach around 84°F (29°C) and can get above 100°F (38°C). In winter, temperatures average about 29°F (−2°C) and can drop below 0°F (−18°C).

Because Gary is close to Lake Michigan, the lake affects the weather. Summers are often humid, and Gary gets about 40 inches of rain each year, with the most rain in summer. Winters are snowy, with about 25 inches of snow each year. Big snowstorms can happen because of “lake effect snow,” when lake water turns into heavy snow near the shore.

Neighborhoods

Downtown

Downtown Gary is divided by Broadway into two parts. The East Side has streets named after states in the order they joined the United States. This area has many older wooden houses and was home to families from Europe. Important buildings here include Memorial Auditorium, The Palace Theater, Emerson School, St. Luke’s Church, and shops along Broadway.

The West Side has streets named after U.S. presidents. This side has brick houses, larger buildings, and was home to wealthy people, including leaders of U.S. Steel. Important places here include the Gary National Bank Building, Hotel Gary (now Genesis Towers), and shops and theaters along Fifth Avenue.

In recent years, many older buildings in downtown have been torn down, and the area has changed because there are fewer jobs in steel and heavy industry now.

West

Ambridge Mann is on the near west side along 5th Avenue. It was built for workers at a steel plant in the early 1900s and has many beautiful homes from that time.

Brunswick is on the far west side, just south of a major road called Interstate 90. This area includes a shopping center called Tri-City Plaza.

Downtown West is in north-central Gary on the west side of Broadway. It includes important places like the Genesis Convention Center, the Gary Police Department, and the Main Branch of the Gary Public Library.

Tolleston is one of Gary’s oldest neighborhoods, established in 1857 when railroads were built there.

South

Black Oak is on the far southwest side of Gary. It was added to the city in the 1970s and is the only neighborhood in Gary where most people have a different background than the rest of the city.

Glen Park is on the far south side and has houses mostly built in the middle of the last century. It includes a golf course and part of a university.

Midtown is south of Downtown Gary along Broadway. In the past, this area was where many African Americans lived when they moved to Gary for factory jobs.

North and East

Aetna is on the far east side along the Dunes Highway. It was started in 1881 by a company that made explosives and was later added to Gary in 1928. It has many beautiful buildings from the early 1900s.

Emerson is in north-central Gary on the east side of Broadway. It includes Gary City Hall and a baseball stadium called U.S. Steel Yard, built in 2002.

Miller Beach, also called Miller, is on the far northeast side. It was its own town until 1918, when it became part of Gary. This area has a mix of people and many homes near Lake Michigan. It has shops, restaurants, and beautiful views of the lake.

Demographics

Gary has changed a lot over the years. Since 1960, fewer people live there because of job and economy changes.

2020 census

The 2020 census counted 69,093 people in Gary. The average age was about 38 years. About one in four people were younger than 18, and almost one in five were 65 or older. Most people lived in cities.

Almost 30% of homes had children under 18. About one in five homes had married couples, and almost half had a woman as the main person living there. Many homes had just one person.

There were about 37,000 places to live, but over 23% were empty. The number of people per square mile was about 1,389.

2010 census

The 2010 census counted 80,294 people in Gary. Most people were African American, about 85% of the population. White people made up about 11%, and smaller numbers were from other groups. The average age was 36.7 years, and about one in three homes had children under 18.

2000 census

The 2000 census counted 102,746 people in Gary. African Americans made up most of the city, about 84% of the population. The average age was 34 years. Many families, especially children under 18, lived below the poverty line.

The average income for a family was about $32,000, and many people did not have much money.

Arts and culture

Arts and film

The musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson has a song named "Gary, Indiana." In the song, a character called Professor Harold Hill says he grew up in Gary, but this is not true. The musical was made into a movie in 1962 and a television film in 2003.

Many movies have been filmed in Gary. For example, the film Original Gangstas from 1996 was shot there. More recently, scenes for movies like Transformers: Dark of the Moon were also filmed in Gary.

Historic places on the National Register

Main article: National Register of Historic Places listings in Lake County, Indiana

Gary has many special places that are important to history. These places are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Some of these places include buildings, schools, and neighborhoods with interesting stories.

Public libraries

Gary has several libraries. The main library used to be on West 5th Avenue, but it closed in 2011. Now, the building is used as a museum. There are still smaller libraries in different parts of the city. Nearby, the Lake County Public Library has a branch in Gary, and Indiana University Northwest has its own library too.

Sports

Gary has some fun sports teams. The Gary SouthShore RailCats are a professional baseball team. They play in the American Association. They used to play in the Northern League. The team has won big prizes in 2005, 2007, and 2013.

Gary was also home to two professional basketball teams. The Gary Splash played from 2010 to 2013. Before that, the Gary Steelheads played in different leagues. Both teams played at the Genesis Convention Center.

Education

Gary has three school districts that help teach its students, and there are also special schools called charter schools in the city.

Most parts of Gary are served by the Gary Community School Corporation. Some areas, like the Black Oak neighborhood, use the Lake Ridge Schools Corporation. A few southeast parts of Gary are covered by the River Forest Community School Corporation.

There are also special charter schools in Gary, such as Thea Bowman Leadership Academy and the Charter School of the Dunes. Gary is also home to two colleges: Indiana University Northwest and Ivy Tech Community College Northwest.

Media

Newspapers

Gary gets its news from two big newspapers that are based outside the city, plus a local paper focused on African-American readers. These newspapers cover regional news and events happening in Gary.

• The Post-Tribune, originally called the Gary Post-Tribune, is now based in nearby Merrillville.
• The Times, once known as the Hammond Times, has its offices in nearby Munster.
• The Gary Crusader, based in Gary, focuses on African-American interests and readers.
• The INFO Newspaper, also based in Gary, serves African-American readers.
• The Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times, based in Chicago, are also available in Gary.

Television and radio

Gary has five local TV and radio stations, plus many Chicago area radio stations, and others nearby in Illinois and Indiana.

• WPWR-TV (Channel 50) is a Chicago MyNetworkTV station licensed to Gary. Its studios and transmitters are in Chicago with WFLD, owned by Fox Television Stations.
• WYIN (Channel 56) is a PBS station licensed to Gary, with studios in Merrillville.
• WGVE (FM 88.7) is owned by the Gary Community School Corporation and used mainly for teaching. Students at the Gary Career Center create the programming. WGVE also airs some NPR shows.
• WLTH (AM 1370) mainly offers talk shows and local programs.
• WWCA (AM 1270) is a Relevant Radio station that broadcasts programs from the Catholic Relevant Radio network.

Infrastructure

Gary has important services to help people stay healthy and safe. The city has medical facilities like the Gary Community Health Center and Methodist Hospital. The Gary Police Department and the Lake County Sheriff work to keep the city secure.

The Gary Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency help to the whole city.

Gary also has many ways for people to travel. The Gary Public Transportation Corporation runs buses all over the city and to nearby places, helping everyone get around. The Gary/Chicago International Airport serves as an extra airport for the Chicago area. Major highways like Interstate 90, I-80, I-94, and I-65 pass through Gary, making it easy to drive. The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District runs the South Shore Line, a train that connects Gary to Chicago and South Bend.

Notable people

The Jacksons

Gary is the hometown of the Jackson family, a family of musicians who helped shape modern popular music. In 1950, Joe and Katherine Jackson moved from East Chicago, Indiana into a small house at 2300 Jackson Street. Their children grew up to become famous entertainers. They even recorded a song called "2300 Jackson Street" in 1989. The Jackson children include:

• Rebbie Jackson
• Jackie Jackson
• Tito Jackson
• Jermaine Jackson
• La Toya Jackson
• Marlon Jackson
• Michael Jackson
• Randy Jackson
• Janet Jackson

Other notable people

Gary has been home to many famous people from different fields, including sports, entertainment, and more. Some well-known individuals include:

• Charles Adkins, Olympic boxer
• Forddy Anderson, NCAA basketball coach
• Dan Barreiro, sports radio talk show host
• Adam Benjamin Jr., United States Representative from Indiana
• Bob Benoit, horse racing executive
• Frank Borman, crew member of Apollo 8
• Lyman Bostock, Major League Baseball player
• John Brim, blues musician
• Donna Britt, journalist and author
• Avery Brooks, actor and director
• Vic Bubas, NCAA basketball coach
• Vivian Carter, music producer
• John Chickerneo, National Football League player
• Rudolph M. Clay, Mayor of Gary from 2006 to 2012
• William Coyne, DuPont Company executive
• Branden Dawson, basketball player
• Tony DeSantis, founder of Drury Lane theaters
• Polly Draper, actress known for Thirtysomething
• Dianne Durham, first Black national gymnastics champion
• Richard Esteras, actor known for The Bear
• Clarissa Pinkola Estés, writer and psychoanalyst
• Dana Evans, WNBA player for the Las Vegas Aces
• Karen Fairchild, country music singer
• Bianca Ferguson, actress known for General Hospital
• Karen Freeman-Wilson, Mayor of Gary from 2012 to 2019
• Winston Garland, basketball player
• Darius Garland, basketball player
• Freddie Gibbs, rapper
• A. J. Hammons, basketball player
• Tom Harmon, 1940 Heisman Trophy winner
• Richard G. Hatcher, Mayor of Gary from 1968 to 1987
• LaTroy Hawkins, Major League Baseball pitcher
• Chuck Higgins, saxophonist known for "Pachuko Hop"
• Eric Hillman, baseball pitcher
• Gerald Irons, NFL player
• Tim Jankovich, basketball coach
• Elijah Johnson, basketball player
• Jason Johnson, NFL player
• Tank Johnson, NFL player
• Alex Karras, NFL player and actor
• Lou Karras, NFL player
• Ted Karras Jr., football player and coach
• Ted Karras Sr., NFL player
• Robert Kearns, inventor of intermittent windshield wiper systems
• Big Daddy Kinsey Blues musician
• Ron Kittle, Chicago White Sox outfielder
• Bob Kuechenberg, NFL player
• Karl Malden, Academy Award-winning actor
• William Marshall, stage and film actor
• Milt May, professional baseball player
• Kym Mazelle, singer
• Willie McCarter, NBA player
• Lloyd McClendon, baseball player and manager
• Matt McConnell, television broadcaster
• James McCracken, opera singer
• Robert A. McDonald, CEO of Procter & Gamble
• Karen McDougal, model
• Ralph McQuarrie, conceptual designer for Star Wars
• Eddie Melton, Indiana state senator, Mayor of Gary
• Larry Moffett, basketball player
• Brandon Moore, NFL player
• Sista Monica Parker, singer and songwriter
• Jerilynn Patton, electronic musician known as Jlin
• Jon Petrovich, television executive
• Dan Plesac, baseball pitcher and analyst
• Elizabeth Brown Pryor, author and diplomat
• Jimmy Reed, musician
• Glenn Robinson, NBA player and father of Glenn Robinson III
• Glenn Robinson III, NBA player
• Paul Samuelson, economist and Nobel Prize winner
• Sharmell, WWE wrestler
• Jerry Shay, NFL player
• Jana Naomi Smith, filmmaker and writer
• Helene Stanley, film actress
• Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight, Wikipedia editor
• Joseph Stiglitz, economist and Nobel Prize winner
• Hank Stram, NFL coach
• Jeanne Stunyo, Olympic diver
• Robert Summers, economist
• George Taliaferro, first Black NFL player
• Crystal Taliefero, singer
• Ernest Lee Thomas, actor
• Todd Wagner, entrepreneur
• Deniece Williams, Grammy Award-winning singer
• Fred Williamson, NFL player and actor
• Tony Zale, boxing champion

Sister cities

Gary has special connections with cities far away. These are called sister cities. One is Fuxin in Liaoning, China. The other is Lagos in Nigeria. These friendships help people learn about each other and work together.