Gary, Indiana: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|City in Lake County, Indiana, United States}}

{{for|the writer|Gary Indiana}}

| nickname           = City of the Century, Magic City, Steel City

  | caption3      = [[Jackson family]] home

<!-- Maps ----------------->| image_map          = Lake_County_Indiana_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Gary_Highlighted.svg

| mapsize            = 200px

| map_caption       = Location in [[Lake County, Indiana|Lake County]] and the state of [[Indiana]]

'''Gary''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|g|ær|i|}} {{respell|GARR|ee}}) is a city in [[Lake County, Indiana]], United States. The population was 69,093 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]],<ref name="2020 Census (City)">{{cite web|title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Gary_city,_Indiana?g=160XX00US1827000 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=May 24, 2024}}</ref> making it Indiana's [[List of municipalities in Indiana|eleventh-most populous city]]. The city has been historically dominated by major industrial activity and is home to [[U.S. Steel]]'s [[Gary Works]], the largest [[steel mill]] complex in [[North America]]. Gary is located along the southern shore of [[Lake Michigan]] about {{convert|25|mi|km|abbr=out}} southeast of [[Chicago Loop|downtown Chicago]]. The city is the western gateway to the [[Indiana Dunes National Park]], and is within the [[Chicago metropolitan area]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Stephanie Smith |author2=Steve Mark |year=2006 |title=Alice Gray, Dorothy Buell, and Naomi Svihla: Preservationists of Ogden Dunes |url=http://www.southshorejournal.org/index.php/issues/volume-1-2006/78-journals/vol-1-2006/117-alice-gray-dorothy-buell-and-naomi-svihla-preservationists-of-ogden-dunes |journal=The South Shore Journal |volume=1 |pages=15–21 |issn=1933-8163 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913013557/http://www.southshorejournal.org/index.php/issues/volume-1-2006/78-journals/vol-1-2006/117-alice-gray-dorothy-buell-and-naomi-svihla-preservationists-of-ogden-dunes |archive-date=September 13, 2012 |access-date=May 20, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Stephanie |title=The Historical Roots of The Nature Conservancy in the Northwest Indiana/Chicagoland Region: From Science to Preservation |url=http://www.southshorejournal.org/index.php/issues/volume-3-2009/83-journals/vol-3-2009/75-the-historical-roots-of-the-nature-conservancy-in-the-northwest-indianachicagoland-region-from-science-to-preservation |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101021140/http://www.southshorejournal.org/index.php/issues/volume-3-2009/83-journals/vol-3-2009/75-the-historical-roots-of-the-nature-conservancy-in-the-northwest-indianachicagoland-region-from-science-to-preservation |archive-date=January 1, 2016 |access-date=November 22, 2015 |publisher=South Shore Journal |df=mdy}}</ref>

Gary was named after lawyer [[Elbert Henry Gary]], who was the founding chairman of the United States Steel Corporation. U.S. Steel had established the city in 1906 as a [[company town]] to serve its steel mills.<ref>{{Cite web |title=City of Gary, Indiana |url=https://www.gary.gov/ |access-date=February 6, 2024 |website=www.gary.gov}}</ref> Like other [[Rust Belt]] cities, Gary's once thriving steel industry has been significantly affected by the disappearance of local manufacturing jobs since the 1970s. As a result of this economic shift, the city's population has decreased drastically, having lost 61% of its population since 1960.<ref>{{cite web |last=Engel |first=Pamela |date=June 20, 2013 |title=Gary, Indiana Is Deteriorating So Much That It May Cut Off Services To Nearly Half Of Its Land |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/gary-indiana-is-deteriorating-badly-2013-6 |access-date=April 6, 2014 |work=Business Insider}}</ref>

Although initially a very diverse city, Gary currently has one of the nation's highest percentages of African-Americans.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gary city, Indiana |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US1827000 |access-date=April 15, 2022 |website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> Between 1970 and 2010, Gary had the nation's highest Black population per capita.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Black Population of United States of America|url=https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/census_2000/cb01cn176.html#:~:text=Among%20places%20with%20100%2C000%20or,by%20Detroit%2C%20with%2083%20percent. |access-date=April 15, 2022 |website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> The city also has a legacy of African-American cultural and historical accomplishments. In 1945, Gary was the first city in the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] (and one of the first in the United States) to fully integrate its public school system,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blog.history.in.gov/tag/integration/|title=Integration|date=March 3, 2017|website=Blog.history.in.gov}}</ref> elected the country's first Black mayor in 1968 (see [[Richard G. Hatcher|Richard Hatcher]]), and hosted the first and largest [[National Black Political Convention]] in 1972.

Gary is serviced by the [[Gary/Chicago International Airport]], an alternative airport to the Chicago region's two larger airports. The city's public transport is provided by the [[Gary Public Transportation Corporation]] and the [[South Shore Line]] passenger railway, which connects to the Chicago transit system. It is also home to a professional baseball team, the [[Gary SouthShore RailCats]]. In addition to its large steel mills, the city is known for being the birthplace of the [[Jackson family]], a family of well-known entertainers whose members include singer [[Michael Jackson]].<ref name="NYTdonley">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/22/travel/a-day-at-the-beach-in-yes-gary-indiana.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 22, 2017 |access-date=August 22, 2017 |last=Donley |first=Brendan |title=A Day at the Beach in, Yes, Gary, Indiana}}</ref>

The steel industry's jobs provided Gary with rapid growth and a diverse population within the first 26 years of its founding. According to the [[1920 United States census]], 29.7% of Gary's population at the time was classified as foreign-born, mostly from eastern European countries, with another 30.8% classified as native-born with at least one foreign-born parent. By the [[1930 United States Census]], the first census in which Gary's population exceeded 100,000, the city was the fifth largest in Indiana and comparable in size to [[South Bend, Indiana|South Bend]], [[Fort Wayne, Indiana|Fort Wayne]], and [[Evansville, Indiana|Evansville]]. At that time, 78.7% of the population was classified as white, with 19.3% as foreign-born and another 25.9% as native-born with at least one foreign-born parent. In addition to white internal migrants, Gary had attracted numerous African-American migrants from the South in the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]], and 17.8% of the population was classified as black. 3.5% were classified as Mexican (now likely to be identified as Hispanic, as some were likely American citizens in addition to immigrants).<ref>{{Cite book|title=Steel city : urban and ethnic patterns in Gary, Indiana, 1906–1950|last=Mohl, Raymond A.|date=1986|publisher=Holmes & Meier|oclc=562497857}}</ref>

Gary's fortunes have risen and fallen with those of the steel industry. The growth of the steel industry brought prosperity to the community. Broadway was known as a commercial center for the region. Department stores and architecturally significant movie houses were built in the downtown and [[Glen Park (Gary)|Glen Park]] neighborhoods.

Gary entered a period of decline in the 1960s, like many other American urban centers reliant on one particular industry. Gary's decline was brought on by [[Steel crisis|reduced employment in the steel industry overall]], which caused U.S. Steel to lay off many workers from the Gary area. The U.S. Steel Gary Works employed over 30,000 in 1970, declined to just 6,000 by 1990, and declined to 5,100 by August 2015. Attempts to shore up the city's economy with major construction projects, such as a [[Holiday Inn]] hotel and the [[Genesis Convention Center]], failed to reverse the decline.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sometimes-interesting.com/2013/06/08/the-abandoned-sheraton-hotel-of-gary-indiana/|title=The Sheraton Hotel of Gary, Indiana|date=June 8, 2013|publisher=Sometimes Interesting}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.citylab.com/equity/2015/02/how-gary-indiana-got-serious-about-tackling-blight/386159/|title=How Gary, Indiana, Got Serious About Tackling Blight|author=Chris Bentley|date=February 26, 2015|publisher=City Lab|archive-date=June 17, 2019|access-date=December 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617013115/https://www.citylab.com/equity/2015/02/how-gary-indiana-got-serious-about-tackling-blight/386159/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In July 1968, riots broke out in Gary. 3,000 [[Michigan National Guard|National Guard]] members came in to restore order to the city. [[Curfew]]s were enforced, and a ban on [[gasoline]] and liquor sales helped calm the violence. Over 110 people were arrested, at least three stores were set on fire, and at least 15 [[firebombing|fire-bombings]] were reported.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newspapers.library.in.gov/cgi-bin/indiana?a=d&d=TDB19680729-01.1.1&srpos=1&e=27-07-1968--08-1968--en-20--1--txt-txIN-gary+disorders------|title=The Daily Banner 29 July 1968 — Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana's Digital Historic Newspaper Program|website=Newspapers.library.in.gov}}</ref>

A rapid racial change occurred in Gary during the late 20th century. These population changes resulted in political change, which reflected Gary's racial demographics: the Black and Hispanic share of the city's population increased from 21% in 1930 to 39% in 1960, and to 53% in 1970. Black and Hispanic people primarily lived in the Midtown section just south of downtown (per the 1950 Census, 97% of Gary's black population lived in this neighborhood). Gary had one of the nation's first African-American mayors, [[Richard G. Hatcher]], and hosted the groundbreaking 1972 [[National Black Political Convention]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Puente|first1=Michael|title=Gary's National Black Political Convention, 40 years on|url=https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news/garys-national-black-political-convention-40-years-on/449ae089-207e-4547-b87d-844058c116d7|publisher=WBEZ|access-date=October 7, 2016|date=March 9, 2012}}</ref>

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Gary had the highest percentage of African-Americans in U.S. cities with a population of 100,000 or more, 84% (as of the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]]). This no longer applies to Gary since the city's population has fallen well below 100,000 residents. As of 2013, the Gary Department of Redevelopment has estimated that one-third of all homes in the city are unoccupied and/or abandoned.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=November 2013 |title=Harper's Index |magazine=[[Harper's Magazine|Harper's]] |publisher=Harper's Foundation |volume=327 |issue=1,962 |page=17 |url=http://harpers.org/archive/2013/11/harpers-index-355/ |access-date=December 30, 2013}}{{subscription required}}</ref>

U.S. Steel continues to be a major steel producer but with only a small fraction of its former level of employment. While Gary has failed to reestablish a manufacturing base since its population peak, two casinos opened along the Gary lakeshore in the 1990s. However, this has been aggravated by the state closing of [[Indiana State Road 912|Cline Avenue]], an important means of access to the area. Today, Gary faces the difficulties of a [[Rust Belt]] city, including higher than national average unemployment and decaying infrastructure.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}}

===Recent history===

Gary Chief of Police Thomas Houston was convicted of excessive force and abuse of authority in 2008; he died in 2010 while serving a three-year, five-month federal prison sentence.<ref>[https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2008/September/08-crt-870.html #08-870: Gary, Indiana Former Police Chief Convicted on Federal Civil Rights Violation (September 30, 2008)]. Justice.gov. Retrieved on March 22, 2011.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Former Gary police chief dies |first=Marisa|last=Kwiatkowski |newspaper=[[The Times of Northwest Indiana]] |date=November 27, 2010 |url=http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/gary/former-gary-police-chief-dies/article_0461522b-fd2b-5caa-ae27-664ac54da596.html |access-date=December 30, 2013}}</ref>

In April 2011, 75-year-old mayor [[Rudolph M. Clay]] announced that he would suspend his campaign for reelection as he was being treated for prostate cancer. He endorsed rival [[Karen Freeman-Wilson]], who won the Democratic mayoral primary in May 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/08/gary-indiana-mayor-rudy-c_n_846785.html |title=Gary, Indiana Mayor Rudy Clay Not Seeking Re-Election Due To Illness |publisher=HuffPost |access-date=April 25, 2012 |first=Will |last=Guzzardi |date=April 8, 2011}}</ref> Freeman-Wilson won election with 87 percent of the vote and her term began in January 2012; she is the first woman elected mayor in the city's history.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/freeman-wilson-wins-handily-in-race-for-gary-mayor/|title=Freeman-Wilson Wins Handily In Race For Gary Mayor|work=CBS News|date=November 9, 2011}}</ref> She was reelected in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indianavoters.in.gov/ENRHistorical/ElectionResults?year=2015|title=Indiana Voters|website=indianavoters.in.gov|access-date=November 18, 2020}}</ref> She was defeated in her bid for a third term in the 2019 Democratic primary by Lake County Assessor [[Jerome Prince (politician)|Jerome Prince]]. Since no challengers filed for the November 2019 general election, Prince's nomination was effectively tantamount to election. He officially succeeded Freeman-Wilson on January 1, 2020, two days after being sworn in as the city's 21st mayor on December 30, 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jerome Prince Defeats Incumbent to Win Gary, Indiana in Democratic Primary |website=[[Associated Press]] |date=May 13, 2019 |url=https://apnews.com/da3bb1f486fbe75e830554d1a93270ca |access-date=December 15, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Prince sworn in as city's 21st mayor; Gary's problems are 'fixable,' he says|date=December 30, 2019 |url=https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/prince-sworn-in-as-city-s-st-mayor-gary-s/article_2e78d1ca-5c30-530a-9201-32d1105173f3.html |access-date=December 31, 2019}}</ref>

In May 2021, a $300 million [[Hard Rock Cafe#Casinos and hotels|Hard Rock Casino]] location opened in the city. Branded as Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, the location includes memorabilia from local natives [[Jackson 5]] and a 1,950-seat Hard Rock Live performance hall.<ref>{{cite news |title=New $300 million casino opens in northwestern Indiana |url=https://apnews.com/article/il-state-wire-indiana-business-entertainment-music-353705ba604099ec7e2cd834f9e5bd05 |access-date=August 11, 2022 |work=Associated Press |date=May 15, 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Gary Indiana - Aerial (50924270497).jpg|thumb|right|Aerial view of Gary]]

The weather in Gary is greatly regulated by its proximity to [[Lake Michigan]]. Weather varies yearly. In the summer months Gary is humid. The city's yearly precipitation averages about 40 inches. Summer is the rainiest season. Winters vary but are predominantly snowy. Snowfall in Gary averages approximately 25 inches per year. Sometimes large blizzards hit because of "[[lake effect snow]]", a phenomenon whereby large amounts of water evaporated from the lake deposit onto the shoreline areas as inordinate amounts of snow.

[[Downtown West (Gary)|Downtown West]] is located in north-central Gary on the west side of Broadway just south of [[Interstate 90]]. The [[Genesis Convention Center]], the [[Gary Police Department]], the Lake Superior Court House, and the Main Branch of the Gary Public Library are located along 5th Avenue. A new 123-unit mixed-income apartment development was built using a [[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development|HUD]] [[HOPE VI]] grant in 2006. The [[Adam Benjamin Metro Center]] is located just north of 4th Avenue. It is operated by the [[Gary Public Transportation Corporation]] and serves as a multi-modal hub. It serves both as the Downtown Gary South Shore train station and an intercity bus stop.

[[Miller Beach]], also known simply as Miller, is on Gary's far northeast side. Settled in the 1850s and incorporated as an independent town in 1907, Miller was annexed by the city of Gary in 1918. Miller developed around the old stagecoach stop and train station known by the 1850s as Miller's Junction and/or Miller's Station. Miller Beach is racially and economically diverse. It attracts investor interest due to the many year-round and summer homes within walking distance of [[Marquette Park (Gary)|Marquette Park]] and [[Lake Michigan]]. Prices for lakefront property are affordable compared to those in Illinois suburban communities. Lake Street provides shopping and dining options for Miller Beach visitors and residents. East Edge, a development of 28 upscale condominium, townhome, and single-family homes, began construction in 2007 at the eastern edge of Miller Beach along County Line Road, one block south of Lake Michigan.<ref>{{cite web |date=April 16, 2006 |title=It's Miller's time in Lake County |url=http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=146&ArticleID=26330 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310220207/http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=146&ArticleID=26330 |archive-date=March 10, 2012 |access-date=April 25, 2012 |publisher=Indiana Economic Digest}}</ref>

The change in the economy and resulting loss of jobs has caused a drop in population by nearly two thirds since its peak in 1960. Gary, along with [[St. Louis]] and [[Detroit]], have each lost near or more than two thirds of their peak populations.

===2020 census===

As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], there were 69,093 people, 28,610 households, and 16,459 families residing in the city.<ref>{{Cite web|title=US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=Gary%20city,%20Indiana%20p16&y=2020 |access-date=May 24, 2024 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> The [[population density]] was {{convert|1388.9|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 37,274 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 10.6% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 80.2% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.4% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.2% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.0% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 3.3% from some other races and 5.2% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 7.6% of the population.<ref>{{Cite web|title=How many people live in Gary city, Indiana |url=https://data.usatoday.com/census/total-population/total-population-change/gary-city-indiana/160-1827000/ |access-date=May 24, 2024 |work=USA Today}}</ref> 27.6% of residents were under the age of 18, 7.0% were under 5 years of age, and 18.5% were 65 and older.

As of the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]], there were 80,294 people, 31,380 households, and 19,691 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1610.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 39,531 housing units at an average density of {{convert|792.7|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 84.8% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 10.7% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.3% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.2% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 1.8% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 2.1% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] people of any race were 5.1% of the population. [[Non-Hispanic Whites]] were 8.9% of the population in 2010,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/18/1827000.html |title=Gary (city), Indiana |work=State & County QuickFacts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805160323/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/18/1827000.html |archive-date=August 5, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> down from 39.1% in 1970.<ref>{{cite web |title=Indiana – Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |archive-date=August 12, 2012 |df=mdy }}</ref>

As of the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]], there were 102,746 people, 38,244 households, and 25,623 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|2045.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 43,630 housing units at an average density of {{convert|868.6|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 84.03% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 11.92% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.21% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.14% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.02% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.97% from [[Race (United States census)|other races]], and 1.71% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (United States census)|Latino]] people of any race were 4.93% of the population.

In [[John Mellencamp]]'s 1985 song, "Minutes to Memories", an old man on a bus, recalling his humble life, tells the young man beside him, "I worked my whole life in the steel mills of Gary."

On [[Beyoncé|Beyoncé's]] 2024 Grammy Winning Album of the Year, ''[[Cowboy Carter]]'', the song “YA YA”, Gary is mentioned as the intermediary stop on a 3-city tour along the [[Chitlin' Circuit]].

[[File:Gary Metro Center Station (26041866933).jpg|thumb|[[Adam Benjamin Metro Center]] is the city's intermodal public transit center.]]

[[File:2300 Jackson Street.jpg|thumb|[[Michael Jackson]]'s childhood home in Gary, Indiana, shortly after the singer's death in 2009]]

Gary is the hometown of the [[Jackson family]], a family of musicians who influenced the sound of modern [[popular music]]. In 1950, [[Joe Jackson (manager)|Joseph]] and [[Katherine Jackson]] moved from [[East Chicago, Indiana]]<ref>{{cite book|title=My Family, the Jacksons|last=Jackson|first=Katherine|publisher=[[St. Martin's Paperbacks]]|year=1990|isbn=0-312-92350-3|author2=Rich Wiseman}}</ref> into their two-bedroom house at 2300 Jackson Street. They had married on November 5, 1949. Their entertainer children later recorded a song entitled "[[2300 Jackson Street (song)|2300 Jackson Street]]" (1989). The Jackson children include:

* [https://www.gary.gov/ City of Gary – Official Website]