The Most Miserable City in America

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ย. 2021
  • Sign up to MorningBrew for free today! bit.ly/mbcitybeautiful
    A brief history of one of the most fascinating cities in the United States, Gary, Indiana.
    Watch on Nebula here: nebula.app/videos/city-beauti...
    I’m on Patreon! Consider supporting this channel: / citybeautiful
    Resources:
    "The 50 most miserable cities in America, based on Census data" www.businessinsider.com/most-...
    "The Failure Of Industrial City Planning: Gary, Indiana, 1906-1910" by Raymond A. Mohl & Neil Betten, www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/1...
    "“The Very Model of Modern Urban Decay”: Outsiders’ Narratives of Industry and Urban Decline in Gary, Indiana" by S. Paul O'Hara journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/...
    "Lost Gary, Indiana" by Jerry Davich, www.amazon.com/Lost-Gary-Indi...
    Produced by Dave Amos and the fine folks at Standard Studios.
    Select images and video from Getty Images.
    Black Lives Matter.

ความคิดเห็น • 16K

  • @CityBeautiful
    @CityBeautiful  2 ปีที่แล้ว +4449

    Behind the scenes: In the clips where I'm talking to camera, there was an active lightning storm overhead! I was surrounded by trees and a flagpole. Not the smartest move at all -- but I really wanted to get the shot. Also, my father-in-law came with me on the shoot and gave me all of the details of what it was like in Gary during it's peak (1950s-1960s). I should have recorded his stories as a bonus commentary track or something!

    • @thomasawdffaw123
      @thomasawdffaw123 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      awesome video my dude

    • @epicmatter3512
      @epicmatter3512 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      @@JosephSneep This is where my great grandparents grew up

    • @BenjaminDirgo
      @BenjaminDirgo 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      That would be great! Nebula video? haha

    • @MarcanthonyHarrison
      @MarcanthonyHarrison 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Come to Buffalo to do a video

    • @jamaalfridge
      @jamaalfridge 2 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      I'd love to hear his perspective. Would you post a second video on this somewhere? Maybe Patreon?

  • @TechRedstone
    @TechRedstone 2 ปีที่แล้ว +18749

    Gary's reputation is literally so bad that
    "a one way ticket to Gary, Indiana"
    is a cards against humanity card.

    • @oldankh
      @oldankh 2 ปีที่แล้ว +730

      That's honestly pretty funny, now I want to look through my deck and find it lol

    • @dacstudios1168
      @dacstudios1168 2 ปีที่แล้ว +125

      Ouch

    • @angelgjr1999
      @angelgjr1999 2 ปีที่แล้ว +795

      You know Gary is bad when people from even the south side of Chicago refuse to live there. Lol

    • @martinmorrissey5647
      @martinmorrissey5647 2 ปีที่แล้ว +46

      Thanks for telling me that I had no idea when I got that card

    • @flowgangsemaudamartoz7062
      @flowgangsemaudamartoz7062 2 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      @@angelgjr1999 Whats up with the chicago south side?

  • @grfrjiglstan
    @grfrjiglstan 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4760

    True story: A couple years back, Gary didn't have any salt on its roads in the winter. The city was so bankrupt, they couldn't pay the salt trucks.

    • @faizfuad8361
      @faizfuad8361 2 ปีที่แล้ว +88

      I just need to affirm but i assume the salt is so to make the ice melt faster?

    • @grfrjiglstan
      @grfrjiglstan 2 ปีที่แล้ว +381

      @@faizfuad8361 Yes, that's correct. Salt lowers the freezing point of water.

    • @TheMrCC21
      @TheMrCC21 2 ปีที่แล้ว +195

      @@grfrjiglstan Cities don't use strictly salt anymore. It's either just sand or a mix of sand and salt. Salt is a problem for infrastructure and vehicles as it is corrosive.
      Salts corrodes roads and bridges for example. It does damage to various parts of vehicles. That's why when a street is salted, you don't want to prolong washing your vehicle. Damage can start to happen.
      When salt reaches a certain temperature, it's no longer effective. It's fine for non-critical applications such as on snow that you will clear away later. But for when the application is used on roads and highways, it becomes impractically slow at lower temperatures.
      Within this search (that's where I got some of this information), I also found that around the freezing mark is when salt most effective. Or that's what it seems like anyways.
      At 30°F (-1°C), one pound of salt will melt about 46 pounds of ice. At 20°F (-6°C), one pound of salt will only melt about 9 pounds of ice. And at +1°F (-17°C), one pound of salt will only melt about 4 pounds of ice. So the colder it gets, the more salt is needed to provide a given amount of ice melting action.
      There is no industry standard for "lowest effective temperature" when it comes to highways and roads.

    • @grfrjiglstan
      @grfrjiglstan 2 ปีที่แล้ว +332

      @@TheMrCC21 Well, whatever it is, they couldn't afford it.

    • @faizfuad8361
      @faizfuad8361 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@grfrjiglstan alright thanks

  • @user-wp3cy3fl2j
    @user-wp3cy3fl2j 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +326

    Anyone who's really taken a close look at this country while traveling knows there are many Gary, Indiana's in our country, which is very sad.

    • @carstarsarstenstesenn
      @carstarsarstenstesenn 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +31

      It's mainly because of single industry economies. Gary was doomed from the start thanks to it's over reliance on the steel industry. Same story with Detroit and the auto industry and cities across the midwest and south

    • @gnielsen07
      @gnielsen07 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

      All over the rust belt. Youngstown Ohio is similar

    • @user-wp3cy3fl2j
      @user-wp3cy3fl2j 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Town's like that can be found coast to coast, not just the rust belt.@@gnielsen07

    • @JakeKoenig
      @JakeKoenig 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Yeah, they are called "Places Where Black People Live."
      And they ALL end up like Gary eventually. That's the pattern, for anyone with the balls to acknowledge it.

    • @appletree9974
      @appletree9974 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Yes, because people have failed to build up communities and care about each other. Individualistic societies will crash anywhere. Corporations will thrive in this societies because will exploit you will deny social benefits, health care and education the very basic human rights. One does not need to be a “communist” one needs to be a human being. Corporations are to make billions pollute and live individuals jobless.

  • @tomarmstrong1281
    @tomarmstrong1281 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +180

    Several years ago my family and I were visiting America from the UK. We were staying in Chicago. My young teenage daughter a fan of Michael Jackson knew he had been born in Gary and because it was only about an hour away from where we were staying she persuaded me to drive there. The sight of the desolation and deprivation was too much for her. In tears she said "Daddy drive away from this place".

    • @mikewood5679
      @mikewood5679 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +12

      Have you ever been to Grimsby 😮

    • @canica99
      @canica99 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +10

      glad you took her so she can see all sides of humanity and how fortunate she is to live in a place she is proud to call home.

  • @willissudweeks1050
    @willissudweeks1050 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5332

    The other city cutting off the road to Gary really made me laugh. Poor Gary.

    • @harveytheattorney
      @harveytheattorney 2 ปีที่แล้ว +112

      That city is full of racist cops and politicians, so not surprising that they made this move.

    • @lancevance5907
      @lancevance5907 2 ปีที่แล้ว +67

      @@harveytheattorney And they're all Democrats. And now their mayor is running for the senate.

    • @harveytheattorney
      @harveytheattorney 2 ปีที่แล้ว +162

      @@lancevance5907 even as a left leaning politically person, I can tell you democrats can absolutely positively be racist, these Hammond politicians are a case in point

    • @mikemccarthy6054
      @mikemccarthy6054 2 ปีที่แล้ว +260

      The road was closed in 1976 due to a toxic dumping facility on the Garry side not being properly managed causing toxic runoff going in to Hammond during floods.

    • @andrewjohnston2850
      @andrewjohnston2850 2 ปีที่แล้ว +122

      that's only the beginning, I hear EPA are building a dome as we speak

  • @hawkrolla
    @hawkrolla 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3807

    True Story, in 2012 I took a Greyhound bus trip around the country, we pulled into Gary one evening and picked up around 8 passengers. As we were pulling out of the station all 8 of them broke out in a spontaneous Cheer laughing and clapping with the joy of escaping the city, I will never forget it.

    • @rubyparchment5523
      @rubyparchment5523 2 ปีที่แล้ว +145

      That's hilarious!

    • @queeniez1970
      @queeniez1970 2 ปีที่แล้ว +59

      That's an awesome story!

    • @testiclestoshirleycles5755
      @testiclestoshirleycles5755 2 ปีที่แล้ว +38

      already u.s. lost its superpower hundred years ago, Its economy is developing thanks to the colonial countries in Europe nowadays

    • @eviljesus6111
      @eviljesus6111 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      I would have made out with them in celebration

    • @Mr_Green1017
      @Mr_Green1017 2 ปีที่แล้ว +64

      I'm gonna do that when I leave philly

  • @oneglobeoneloveofficial
    @oneglobeoneloveofficial 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +95

    Also Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana. His father Joe, worked at the Gary Steel Mill. The Jackson five began their career in Gary, Indiana. Mostly their rehearsals and practising. They performed in talent shows,in bars and in clubs in neighbouring towns before being discovered by Diana Ross in the Motown days. I'd say if Gary, Indiana was going to make a comeback they could honor Michael Jackson's life and legacy.

    • @ToddWerner-vp3vc
      @ToddWerner-vp3vc 19 วันที่ผ่านมา

      That family, with all of their millions, did nothing for this city.

    • @oneglobeoneloveofficial
      @oneglobeoneloveofficial 19 วันที่ผ่านมา +4

      @@ToddWerner-vp3vc they didn't owe anybody anything. Look at the chip on your shoulder and broaden your thinking. They were dirt poor once and truthfully the city didn't do anything for them either.

    • @ToddWerner-vp3vc
      @ToddWerner-vp3vc 19 วันที่ผ่านมา

      ​@malakai79 many successful families give back, at least somewhat, to the community they grew up in. This family did nothing!
      Look at the original comment, the city should not honor that family.

    • @oneglobeoneloveofficial
      @oneglobeoneloveofficial 19 วันที่ผ่านมา +2

      @@ToddWerner-vp3vc I simply don't engage with low level intelligence. All the best on your soul growth.

  • @easternrebel1061
    @easternrebel1061 ปีที่แล้ว +28

    Truck driver here. Had to stop in Gary for fuel. As I was fueling at the Loves off of I-80/90 I heard popping noises. Fourth of July was 2 weeks away and so I thought maybe some kids were playing with fireworks a few blocks down. Then I heard what some like automatic gunfire and it dawned on me. I was listening to a shootout a few blocks away.

  • @thebreakfastmenu
    @thebreakfastmenu 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4916

    Last time I was in Gary, a pack of deer were chilling out downtown. It felt like I Am Legend or something. That place really is something else.
    Edit: Sorry to everyone I have offended for using the wrong terminology in my comment. I called this group of deer a "pack" when I should have used the word "herd." I was in a really dark place when I said that.
    I hope everyone can accept this apology and I'm working so, so hard to better myself. Thank you

    • @alexanderfrankenberger1118
      @alexanderfrankenberger1118 2 ปีที่แล้ว +68

      hahahaha love it

    • @miniaturemachinist6098
      @miniaturemachinist6098 2 ปีที่แล้ว +111

      We have that in Wyoming all the time. A lot of the deer in town are so used to people here that you can walk right by them.

    • @beanman6684
      @beanman6684 2 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      @@miniaturemachinist6098 Shows how empty it is

    • @alexmurphy5289
      @alexmurphy5289 2 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      @@beanman6684 Yes, Wyoming sounds dope AF. I actually want to live there one day

    • @platinum-or3y
      @platinum-or3y 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@miniaturemachinist6098 Happens in utah sometimes

  • @citadelgrad87
    @citadelgrad87 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3688

    Twenty plus years ago, I rented a car in Chicago to drive to Grand Rapids for a family wedding. Flights were grounded due to snow. The car rental guy took out a map and drew about 50 circles around Gary. He looked me dead in the eye and crossed through the city like a Ghostbusters "no" sign. He said "I need you to understand this. You are not to take this car into Gary. DO not get off the freeway between these two marks. If you get 4 flat tires, keep going, we will waive the damage claim, get past and then stop. No matter what, do not take this car into Gary. Do you agree?"

    • @yuma9663
      @yuma9663 ปีที่แล้ว +241

      WOW! Is it really that bad?

    • @citadelgrad87
      @citadelgrad87 ปีที่แล้ว +492

      @@yuma9663 No idea, I had my mother in law with me, no way did we go near Gary. The rental guy sure thought so.

    • @BlownMacTruck
      @BlownMacTruck ปีที่แล้ว +480

      Rental car person was clearly unhinged. Gary’s not the safest, but it’s hardly a terrifying no-go zone.

    • @kennethclark4306
      @kennethclark4306 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      😂

    • @CaptainUnconventional
      @CaptainUnconventional ปีที่แล้ว +338

      Draw a circle around Chicago too.

  • @mr.d.4175
    @mr.d.4175 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +41

    My first time seeing Gary was 1969 when we moved from Wisconsin to a town about 30 miles east of Gary. The sky was so rust colored at noon that the street lights were on. We drove past on I-90 on a weekend and the steel mills spewed sulpher smelling, rust colored pollution. When the wind was out of the west(most days), the smell 30 miles away was unbearable until the late 1970's when the air pollution controls forced the mills to use, "scrubbers."
    The pollution created my hometown into a cancer cluster that had 30 times the national average of rare and common cancers. It took my mother's life. The steel mills expelled their exhaust into the atmosphere and it mixed with moisture, dumped into a narrow band of land, and created polluted wells in their wake.
    My favorite moment was the view from the rear view mirror when I left for good in 1992.

  • @IWill-qo3es
    @IWill-qo3es 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +65

    Born and raised in Gary, IN. It’s sad to see the city how it is now. Growing up we were taught of it’s glory days in school and it really seemed to be a great city once upon a time. All in all I’m still proud to say where I came from. Gary raises unique kinds of people lbs

    • @lurleanpeeples
      @lurleanpeeples 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      Yesssss!! I will NEVER deny where I was born and raised.

    • @lawren-hollienelson9948
      @lawren-hollienelson9948 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      I live just North of Portland,Or and it's the same thing. Once upon a time it was a Great and Beautiful city. Now if you HAVE to go there, it is a straight drive, in and out. So Sad...

    • @PacmanBrunner
      @PacmanBrunner วันที่ผ่านมา

      Was great before everyone showed up

  • @bluescreen243
    @bluescreen243 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1672

    I was born in Gary in 1954. My father worked at US Steel as a crane operator for 22 years. We lived in a small town about 40 miles south of the town. Growing up I saw its decline over the years. I was sad to see their library abandoned. All the books were just left and as weather destroyed the building thousands of books became moldy relics.

    • @magesalmanac6424
      @magesalmanac6424 2 ปีที่แล้ว +82

      That’s heartbreaking! :(

    • @trinadeerhodes
      @trinadeerhodes 2 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      My dad from there. So sad I hear the stories of its hay day all the time

    • @heru-deshet359
      @heru-deshet359 2 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      That is blasphemous!

    • @maxsweetman6341
      @maxsweetman6341 2 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      Really is time Americans left us all alone and sorted out its own sick sad sorry mess

    • @carlosnarvaez5817
      @carlosnarvaez5817 2 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      What do you think about Michael Jackson and the Jackson Family? They were born in Gary Indiana. Do you have stories to share about them?

  • @hiddenXtreasure01
    @hiddenXtreasure01 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2249

    I lived in Gary for 6 years when I was little. I went to a charter school. We thought it was the best place. Full of buildings to explore and create club houses. I thank God we didn’t get hurt. We were running off hanging out in abandoned houses in 4th grade! Thank God my mom never found out

    • @kevinxanity4113
      @kevinxanity4113 2 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      You’re beautiful

    • @BrocoliMan2002
      @BrocoliMan2002 2 ปีที่แล้ว +180

      @@kevinxanity4113 ur sussy and I'm coming for u

    • @classiccarbuff
      @classiccarbuff 2 ปีที่แล้ว +66

      @@BrocoliMan2002 Easy there, tough guy. The internet isn't big enough for the two of you.

    • @classiccarbuff
      @classiccarbuff 2 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      I wish I could have seen some of the abandoned buildings when they were in somewhat better shape. I explored St. Mary's Mercy Hospital back in May of 2017 and part of it is about ready to collapse. It didn't seem like the police cared whether I was in there or not. Kevin is right. You're gorgeous.

    • @jedaaa
      @jedaaa 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Are the stories about fake roadblocks true, I'm from the U.K and have heard wild stories about this place . ..

  • @bobbybob3865
    @bobbybob3865 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +29

    There used to be a city named East Gary but the residents voted to rename it Lake Station, even though it's several miles from Lake Michigan and has no other lakes nearby of any size.

    • @wuzzleone
      @wuzzleone 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Yeah they have a news article calling lake station the poorest city in the state I live in south bend

    • @peterpiwoski
      @peterpiwoski หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Actually it was called Lake Station before named East Gary. City officials wanted to expand Gary to the east more. Though, as Gary's reputation began to become more negative, the folks there wanted to disassociate with Gary's stigma.

  • @dssunited
    @dssunited ปีที่แล้ว +128

    I live in Merrillville, literally right next to Gary and the few times I've rode through Gary, such as one of the last times I saw my grandfather, left me speechless. Then I found out just how beautiful the city used to look. It's absolutely insane.

    • @AlgaeEater09
      @AlgaeEater09 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Used to be 90% white. Now its 90% black-
      Just stating facts, look it up.

    • @rhh176
      @rhh176 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      It's looked good before it existed

    • @shawnpahl
      @shawnpahl 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Maryville sucks too

    • @Telephonebill51
      @Telephonebill51 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Jesus, isn't Merrillville the porn capitol of the world?

    • @camieki3419
      @camieki3419 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Sameee

  • @slapdat.byteme
    @slapdat.byteme 2 ปีที่แล้ว +733

    As my friend’s dad once said, “When the world gets an enema, Gary, Indiana is where they insert the tube”.

    • @smith1958b
      @smith1958b 2 ปีที่แล้ว +74

      My dad was driving past Gary with the family in the station wagon. Dad says, "If we break down here we are all dead." This was in 1966.

    • @arthurcorassini
      @arthurcorassini 2 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      That's one hell of a phrase

    • @darkwraithgareth4100
      @darkwraithgareth4100 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Imagine being named after this city, just like my case. ._.

    • @thegamingreaper1293
      @thegamingreaper1293 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@smith1958b bruh even to this day lol u break down there you're probably dead or getting robbed for everything down to your boxers and socks bud 😂 places is a fuckin animals den

    • @sophieburgess4523
      @sophieburgess4523 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      That’s a funny name

  • @vthisademu
    @vthisademu 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1171

    I live by Gary, and I've been there a couple times. It's terrifying because the cops said to us not to stop at stop signs. He told us we can get robbed in seconds. It was a strange feeling being there. I was in the city and it was super foggy. Since there's literally nobody there, I kinda felt like I was in Silent Hill.

    • @gregdaweson4657
      @gregdaweson4657 2 ปีที่แล้ว +98

      Theres a reason for white flight.

    • @6to1
      @6to1 ปีที่แล้ว +53

      @@gregdaweson4657 Self fulfilling prophecy

    • @TheLochs
      @TheLochs ปีที่แล้ว +23

      Same with me, cops told me to blow off stop signs.

    • @stop08it
      @stop08it ปีที่แล้ว +18

      It sounds straight up cursed.

    • @Confettifun
      @Confettifun ปีที่แล้ว

      @@gregdaweson4657 you should “white flight” yourself back to Europe

  • @ashleyadillon
    @ashleyadillon 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +85

    I currently live in Gary. My Dad was born here and is currently pastoring here in Gary and desperately wants Gary to thrive again. That’s what we have been praying. We definitely want to make a difference.

    • @user-he8eu3ue5n
      @user-he8eu3ue5n หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      you look nice :)

    • @shandaman40298
      @shandaman40298 26 วันที่ผ่านมา

      What church he Pastor at?

  • @B-t2cz
    @B-t2cz 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +29

    Growing up near Chicago, my family would go camping in the neighboring Indiana Dunes. We'd pass through Gary but never stopped there. The stench was awful. I remember seeing smokestacks everywhere. I used to wonder how people could live in a place that smelled so bad.
    A few years ago we found ourselves passing through Gary. We were coming up from visiting the south. I had to use the restroom so we stopped at a gas station. Big mistake. Run down, shady characters loitering outside AND inside, cashier behind bulletproof glass reinforced with cast iron bars, etc. The bathroom was pitch black because the light was out. The door didn't even lock. Imagine taking a piss in complete darkness in GARY INDIANA. I hurried tf out of there and my Dad kept yelling at me why did we have to stop in Gary. Dad was right. Thank God I didn't get mugged or anything.

    • @mrthomas7511
      @mrthomas7511 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Piss on the road

  • @chrismarek7864
    @chrismarek7864 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2223

    They filmed a scene for Transformers: Dark of the Moon in Gary. It was the scene where they’re in Chernobyl and they say the film producers had to do very little, if any, editing to show the level of decay they wanted for the scene since Gary is in that bad of shape.

    • @justjuangoodcitizen4297
      @justjuangoodcitizen4297 2 ปีที่แล้ว +141

      Didn't even have to change the damn set smh

    • @jorgerodriguez-ku4fw
      @jorgerodriguez-ku4fw 2 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      Shi I hope they at least paid to film there but who knows

    • @AndreiBerezin
      @AndreiBerezin 2 ปีที่แล้ว +36

      Чернобыль даже лучше

    • @REXae86
      @REXae86 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@justjuangoodcitizen4297 lol

    • @milomilo6404
      @milomilo6404 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Bogus, lol

  • @Albertalorian
    @Albertalorian 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1626

    As a Canadian truck driver, our company literally had a "No Go" policy for Gary Indiana. If they seen your GPS tracker at the Pilot off Burr St in Gary, it was an instant firing!

    • @Toxic_rnr
      @Toxic_rnr 2 ปีที่แล้ว +95

      I only wish my company would do the same and maybe pay for rerouted miles around that shit hole.

    • @muffs55mercury61
      @muffs55mercury61 2 ปีที่แล้ว +96

      Yes. When I was driving we were told NEVER to fuel at that Pilot or the TA in Gary. One year there were three murders at that TA. Robberies were common. We fueled in Lake Station (10 miles east and a tad safer) It was called the Travel Port until TA bought them out after I went to local driving.

    • @Jagg61
      @Jagg61 2 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      The TA was disgusting

    • @ginalynn6963
      @ginalynn6963 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      Curious as to why they'd fire you?

    • @Jagg61
      @Jagg61 ปีที่แล้ว +102

      @@ginalynn6963 it was/is a super high crime area. Drivers robbed and or killed. Trucks being jacked. Its not a good place. Lol

  • @MrMarkalroberts
    @MrMarkalroberts 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    Thank you for adding much needed context to the “drive by” you-tubers that are showing the symptoms you mention without that backdrop and deeper understanding.

  • @claudmyers833
    @claudmyers833 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I don't know how many of these you do, but you did a great job encapsulating Gary. I'll be looking for more! Thanks.

  • @EfrainQuezada
    @EfrainQuezada 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1935

    I used to drive through Gary all the time. I used to pick up coils and other steel products on a flatbed from burns harbor. I always thought it looked nice and quiet. But one time, I was driving through a neighborhood with stops on every intersection and a cop actually drove up to me and said "after sunset, you don't stop." and sped off. That's when it hit me, ok maybe Gary is fucked.

    • @joeyknight8272
      @joeyknight8272 2 ปีที่แล้ว +150

      Its fucked if nothing changes. But people want gary to change and theres perhaps even people dedicated to turning gary around

    • @enzop6861
      @enzop6861 2 ปีที่แล้ว +410

      That is one of the last things you'd ever wanna hear from a cop...

    • @B3Band
      @B3Band 2 ปีที่แล้ว +107

      @@enzop6861 If he was black it WOULD have been the last thing he heard from a cop...other than the gunshot.

    • @roguedalek900
      @roguedalek900 2 ปีที่แล้ว +67

      Locals call it Burns Ditch not Burns Harbor. Used to run Chicago daily back in the late 90s out of Michigan. Used to skirt the truck scales on 94 by going US 12 and follow the parade of steel haulers. Exit on Cline Avenue or Burr St off 94. Good times. Ran the rail yards. Conrail 63rd or Mopac or BNSF or Global I & II. Got shot at all the time going into Conrail. Finding bullet holes in my container would be an everyday event and this was way back 96-97.

    • @SomePotato
      @SomePotato 2 ปีที่แล้ว +62

      ​@@joeyknight8272 All I know about Gary I know from this video, but it seems that redeveloping the city is far beyond the resources of the city government. It'd need some serious state or federal help. I hope they get it, because from the video, it could be really beautiful.

  • @mylegs2056
    @mylegs2056 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5040

    Shoutout to Freddie Gibbs. Legend he sacrificed his hair to make it out of Gary

    • @philosophy20
      @philosophy20 2 ปีที่แล้ว +83

      Hahaha bruh, chill! 😆😆😭

    • @optimusprime4263
      @optimusprime4263 2 ปีที่แล้ว +128

      first thing that popped in my mind when i read the title

    • @iss3831
      @iss3831 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      😭😭😭

    • @sharktv3000
      @sharktv3000 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Maaaan, i thought he was from Nickerson Gardens, Watts

    • @nickfinamori9992
      @nickfinamori9992 2 ปีที่แล้ว +44

      lmao that was the first name i thought of, and of course MJ

  • @rickdiaz7239
    @rickdiaz7239 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Great job! Well researched and great commentary.

  • @Corporatefashionista
    @Corporatefashionista 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    Born and raised in Gary, IN. It wasn't always bad, and both of my parents made 6 figures. I have great memories and miss the old days when my cousins and I could walk up and down the streets safely, and the neighbors had every right to check us if we were doing anything inappropriate. It is pretty rough now. When I visit, I can't believe the state it is in. No more Gleason Park, the homes and yards used to be beautifully manicured, Miller had beautiful beaches, not sure if the beaches are open anymore. It's pretty sad. My son is 12 and says, "Mom, I can't believe you grew up here. You don't fit in". I have a few family members trying to help rebuild the West Side, but It's going to take a lot more than them. I'm still proud to say I am from there. Definitely taught me a lot.

  • @theleperking9607
    @theleperking9607 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1575

    I used to drive around the country doing foreclosures in places like St Louis, Detroit, Chicago etc. Gary is actually not too far from my own home so I bounced between Gary and Chicago almost every other weekend. Needless to say the residents of these places get curious seeing me cleaning out these houses and putting up for sale signs. Because of this curiosity I would have conversations about the area etc and in Gary I was basically told the same story every time:
    "You're wasting your money and your time. No one moves to Gary. You're either born here or you die here. No one moves here."
    And it's like a ghost town. In Detroit you'll have entire blocks of abandoned, burnt, desolate houses. In Gary, that's just the whole town.

    • @Coconutszz
      @Coconutszz 2 ปีที่แล้ว +112

      thats some deep lore

    • @Astrothunder_
      @Astrothunder_ 2 ปีที่แล้ว +72

      It is pretty reminiscent of Detroit. I would to visit family there as a kid and all those abandoned/burned down buildings and the perpetual grey sky always bummed me out.

    • @hooperbraxton
      @hooperbraxton 2 ปีที่แล้ว +46

      @Purple Ray no he's right unfortunatley......I live 5 min away and thats kind of how it is.

    • @ditzyhere3138
      @ditzyhere3138 2 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      So did you sell any houses?

    • @gabrielshensky348
      @gabrielshensky348 2 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      I'm excited to see what's to come of all these burnt blocks in Detroit. There's so many resurgences happening everywhere, and slowly but surely they'll make their way back.

  • @brianm2242
    @brianm2242 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1831

    My only memory of Gary was driving through and seeing a restaurant boarded up with the "grand opening celebration" banners still waving.

    • @nelsonx5326
      @nelsonx5326 2 ปีที่แล้ว +110

      Haha. Maybe Covid shut them down hours before the opening. That happened to a bakery near me in NYC. They invested all that money in ovens and such, but lockdowns hit.

    • @kargudin
      @kargudin 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Eek lol

    • @brianm2242
      @brianm2242 2 ปีที่แล้ว +184

      @@nelsonx5326 Not unless COVID-19 was around in 1999. XD

    • @lawrencebraun7616
      @lawrencebraun7616 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      @@brianm2242 That was coven 18

    • @eddivel5954
      @eddivel5954 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Keep voting crat???

  • @reader1236
    @reader1236 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    This was really interesting, thank you!

  • @Powder148
    @Powder148 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    I was born in Gary in 1977 and soon after my father got back into the military and moved to the Seattle area where Im at today. Ive never been there but one day I'll take I-90 east and see it for myself. My mother tells me stories from the time there and it gives her anxiety just thinking about the brief time we lived there 45 years ago

  • @williameckert306
    @williameckert306 2 ปีที่แล้ว +698

    There was city next door called East Gary. Gary’s reputation was so bad, East Gary changed its name to Lake Station.

    • @wildman2012
      @wildman2012 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      interesting! Maybe Gary should try re-branding itself. It might take more than a name change, but that could be a start. What would we call the new Gary?

    • @kargudin
      @kargudin 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Interesting

    • @machineheadg2r
      @machineheadg2r 2 ปีที่แล้ว +69

      @@wildman2012 west lake station

    • @jimpatterson3286
      @jimpatterson3286 2 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      Actually East Gary was called Lake Station then East Gary then back to Lake Station. Lake Station is older than Gary. It was a rail stop on the lake hence the name.

    • @HammerSSBM
      @HammerSSBM 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      I used to live in Lake station, the town was pretty nice. It's not as bad as Gary but most roads there just need adjustment. Everyone at the school was really nice but they schools at the time weren't well maintained (This was back in 2012). The last time I been to one of the school was back in 2018 when my cousin graduated and it was pretty nice looking. I don't know where I'm getting here, all I'm saying is it's a good town

  • @vernonrobinson7214
    @vernonrobinson7214 ปีที่แล้ว +2465

    I just stopped in Gary for a restroom on my trip across the country. It feels like Fallout 3. It's incredibly abandoned and eerie. The folks over at the KFC were really friendly tho!

    • @1marcelfilms
      @1marcelfilms ปีที่แล้ว +129

      I would rather piss my pants than stop there

    • @javiergilvidal1558
      @javiergilvidal1558 ปีที่แล้ว

      This guy has the typical soy-boy appearance, and a PC abhorrence of hard facts, coupled with a fear to call a spade a spade. Even in Wokipedia you can read: "after white flight in the 1970s, the city of Gary held the nation's highest percentage of African Americans for several decades". That speaks VOLUMES about the reasons for Gary's metamorphosis from a prosperous industrial and economic hub into a hellish dunghole. If any doubt remained in the tender minds of the bleeding hearts, Wokepedia makes it brutally clear with the demographic breakdown: Whites, 8.91%. Niggas, 83.90%. That does not show in this coward's video, who piously shows EMPTY PHANTOM STREETS. No showing people at large, lest it became obvious that they were ALL niggas! Go, Gary, go!

    • @TL915.24
      @TL915.24 ปีที่แล้ว +36

      KFC WOOWOO u can always trust KFC

    • @javiergilvidal1558
      @javiergilvidal1558 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@TL915.24 What the hell is KFC?

    • @TL915.24
      @TL915.24 ปีที่แล้ว +54

      @@javiergilvidal1558 the best chicken 🐔 you will ever taste "Kentucky Fried Chicken" but 9 out 10 times in a weirdo town or city u can always trust a KFC to get off and get food

  • @babusastry
    @babusastry ปีที่แล้ว +8

    As a new comer to USA in 1965, my 1st Job was at Verson Steel at 93rd and Stoney Island.
    Based on my expertise suddenly I found being Chauffered to the Gary airport in 1967 in the CEO's personal plane to go to a place to evaluate a specialized machine.
    That is a fond memory for me of Gary.

  • @tonyxthextigre
    @tonyxthextigre ปีที่แล้ว +19

    I grew up in south central Los Angeles. I went to Gary once while I was in Great Lakes for bootcamp. Gary is indeed the worst place in America. I felt like I could die at any moment and someone could easily roll my body into one of the many ditches overgrown with bush and it would be weeks before someone ever found me.

    • @user-ps7jc6zz1w
      @user-ps7jc6zz1w 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      For real you need to stop tripping you are from central La and you think Gary is worse than central La

    • @tonyxthextigre
      @tonyxthextigre 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@user-ps7jc6zz1w Gary is worse, by far. Its a shithole that has nothing going for it. Central/South LA at least has culture, great food and lively. Gary is a ghosttown and an all around terrible place.

    • @gordonlandreth9550
      @gordonlandreth9550 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Just the vast areas of abandoned houses , blocks and blocks
      of old buildings that were empty , you don't have that in Los Angeles .

  • @d36williams
    @d36williams 2 ปีที่แล้ว +473

    My step grandfather worked at the newspaper in Gary Ind for years. He didn't start off covering murders but it became pretty much all he wrote about until leaving

    • @thereluctantgearhead4544
      @thereluctantgearhead4544 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      I wonder why that is....

    • @javiergilvidal1558
      @javiergilvidal1558 ปีที่แล้ว

      This guy has the typical soy-boy appearance, and a PC abhorrence of hard facts, coupled with a fear to call a spade a spade. Even in Wokipedia you can read: "after white flight in the 1970s, the city of Gary held the nation's highest percentage of African Americans for several decades". That speaks VOLUMES about the reasons for Gary's metamorphosis from a prosperous industrial and economic hub into a hellish dunghole. If any doubt remained in the tender minds of the bleeding hearts, Wokepedia makes it brutally clear with the demographic breakdown: Whites, 8.91%. Niggas, 83.90%. That does not show in this coward's video, who piously shows EMPTY PHANTOM STREETS. No showing people at large, lest it became obvious that they were ALL niggas! Go, Gary, go!

    • @cherryjuice9946
      @cherryjuice9946 ปีที่แล้ว

      I just did a search on news from Gary, and that is indeed what I found. It was all murders. That and "books offered in vending machines to get kids interested in reading". Yeah, we'll see how that works out. The stories about more murders will continue, but they'll likely forget that attempt at reading.

  • @moopi1075
    @moopi1075 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1701

    This video is beautifully made, and very accurate to describe the state of my beloved home town. Looking at the abandoned buildings and churches and how ornate and pretty they looked always wowed me as a child; it was like a city that giants had left behind.
    I know Gary gets credited for being where MJ grew up but there was another hidden gem there, a man who fought Muhammad Ali. His name was Doug Jones....and he's my Grandpa!

    • @41000mf
      @41000mf 2 ปีที่แล้ว +36

      grandpa jones!

    • @hotstuff6131
      @hotstuff6131 2 ปีที่แล้ว +37

      That's pretty cool

    • @samuraijack0876
      @samuraijack0876 2 ปีที่แล้ว +68

      That's so cool, dude. Your Grandpa fought the GOAT. 💯

    • @KrispyBread
      @KrispyBread 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Damn that's awesome

    • @edithdlp8045
      @edithdlp8045 2 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      And to think that the greatest artist in the world was born here, I am talking about the one and only Michael Jackson.

  • @jerrybaird2059
    @jerrybaird2059 ปีที่แล้ว

    Well done. I look forward to seeing the next video.

  • @Olivia.Boyd.
    @Olivia.Boyd. ปีที่แล้ว +25

    My sister and I road tripped across the country and stopped in Gary for Taco Bell. Once we got to our hotel maybe 4 hours later, we filled in my mom on our stops and stories of the day. NEVER heard of Gary before, but I was yelled at by my mom for a good 45 minutes for putting myself in danger. But imo the Taco Bell was banger and everyone there was j chilling so 🙃

  • @chrisbrowder9184
    @chrisbrowder9184 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3067

    I'm from Gary and I want to say this was an excellent piece that objectively explains what happened to the city without all the subjective , and commonly, negative opinions....thank you so much!

    • @VincentGonzalezVeg
      @VincentGonzalezVeg 2 ปีที่แล้ว +35

      I'm buying land in Ohio & I'll see what your city has
      (Edit; talked to the other executive's & we're going to be shopping in your neighborhoods)
      We need to preserve worthwhile development, homes
      Anywhere can be improved
      If we removed the human caused problems we see an 'ideal land'
      "If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it"
      - Willy 'Gene Wilder' Wonka
      Big Love

    • @AnimalLover-dw2wu
      @AnimalLover-dw2wu 2 ปีที่แล้ว +44

      Yeah...but Gary is certainly not the most miserable city. If anything, it's a tie with several others.

    • @smileyface9459
      @smileyface9459 2 ปีที่แล้ว +47

      I love Black people but i not think it woud be good idea for me to move in a all Black people city

    • @RabbiPorkchop
      @RabbiPorkchop 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      And home for stericycles biohazard incinerator !
      Breathe deep my frand

    • @Gfysimpletons
      @Gfysimpletons 2 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      So what your saying is that the truth should be swept under the carpet?

  • @charliebrown4799
    @charliebrown4799 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1336

    My friend bought a house out there for cheap. Like dirt cheap. After being shot in the wrist and having his dog stolen and held for ransom, he sold his house and moved back to CA.
    He eventually got his dog back. It was uninjured and in good health so the criminals weren't complete dirt bags

    • @Mitters
      @Mitters ปีที่แล้ว +156

      Wholesome and horrifying 😅😂

    • @ddorsey1091
      @ddorsey1091 ปีที่แล้ว +292

      You know it's rough when you move back to comifornia.

    • @planetcancer8492
      @planetcancer8492 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@ddorsey1091 oh shut up

    • @fionn9852
      @fionn9852 ปีที่แล้ว +126

      @@ddorsey1091 communism is when capitalism

    • @sarahsim218
      @sarahsim218 ปีที่แล้ว +35

      It’s amazing he even sold it

  • @oldergeologist
    @oldergeologist 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Really interesting history well presented. Thank you.

  • @laurencrouse2418
    @laurencrouse2418 ปีที่แล้ว

    good coverage, thanks

  • @CrimeFighter1943
    @CrimeFighter1943 ปีที่แล้ว +1127

    One of the happier days of my life was in 1979, viewing Gary, Indiana, in my rear view mirror as I left Gary, and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada.

    • @theonlycaamz
      @theonlycaamz ปีที่แล้ว +26

      lol

    • @drunkenengineer887
      @drunkenengineer887 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      You left a dog turd for another dog turd that is covered in glittered

    • @CrimeFighter1943
      @CrimeFighter1943 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@drunkenengineer887 The weather was a lot better in the one covered in glitter. :-)

    • @Midwestemoisme
      @Midwestemoisme ปีที่แล้ว +5

      hows ur life now

    • @CrimeFighter1943
      @CrimeFighter1943 ปีที่แล้ว +44

      @@Midwestemoisme Great, I no longer live in the US.

  • @carldevries178
    @carldevries178 ปีที่แล้ว +1565

    Way back in the 1990's, myself and some friends (all Canadian) were traveling thru the area. We made a few wrong turns and ended up in Gary. Within minutes a cop car approached us. When they found out we were from elsewhere, they immediately escorted us back to the interstate.

    • @hankkingsley9300
      @hankkingsley9300 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      Well there's your problem lady

    • @BamBabyBrenda
      @BamBabyBrenda ปีที่แล้ว

      @Brian Rogers bruh cops kill people here...
      Not too far from me a body was found chopped in pieces and the man caught was a serial killer.
      We don't put it on the news for everyone to see but some places in Canada are messed up.
      The ghetto area I used to live in had someone running around every night shooting at people for no reason. She got caught only because she shot herself by accident.

    • @nickhinton9726
      @nickhinton9726 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Halifax police strike was pretty brutal

    • @sativar6530
      @sativar6530 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @Brian the opioid problem is overwhelming because even kids are talking about doing it

    • @Theywaswrong
      @Theywaswrong ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Same happened to me in Memphis, TN.

  • @7thsealord888
    @7thsealord888 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Interesting stuff. I'd recently seen another YT from someone travelling through Gary. A huge decaying church there stuck in my mind, there were many very empty-looking areas, and a few places that looked downright post-apocalyptic. But, for all that, there were still neighborhoods that, if not top-tier, did look relatively nice. Still possibilities here, to be sure.

  • @MaireGendron
    @MaireGendron ปีที่แล้ว

    Very good report.

  • @chucku.farley6463
    @chucku.farley6463 2 ปีที่แล้ว +656

    I remember driving through this city as a child and being on the verge of tears because it was that depressing looking. It was 1987 or so, and it felt like 1957. Literally, my memories of Gary are in Black & White

    • @ArtistsCry13
      @ArtistsCry13 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Gary was actually very prosperous in 1957 lol

    • @vict0ree
      @vict0ree 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Gary was a nice place in 1957. Take your race baiting fake history somewhere else.

    • @chiquita_dave
      @chiquita_dave 2 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      @@ArtistsCry13 I think that's what they mean, it looks like how it was when it was at its most prosperous. I had the same experience driving through Welch, WV a few years ago. Some of the buildings look like they had been untouched since the 1950s.

  • @slimqt1
    @slimqt1 2 ปีที่แล้ว +748

    Grew up in Gary in the late 80’s. If Gary was declining I was to young to realize it. I felt safe where I lived & spent my time. As an adult and going back, it’s sad how it looks nothing like my childhood.

  • @ericalindsey-eb1bo
    @ericalindsey-eb1bo ปีที่แล้ว +89

    I live in Gary now for the past 2 years and it’s definitely not the murder capital it once was. I feel safer here than I do when I lived in Chicago where I’m from. Gary has a lot of potential if you look at it thru a different angle. The city just fascinates me. Worth investing in. I would love to do my own documentary and interview the elders here who were born and raised.

    • @sushipizza4439
      @sushipizza4439 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Idk enough about Gary, but i think that the media was/is somewhat overreacting. I live in indiana(3 hours from gary, ~1 hour from indy) and stopped there to see if the media was right about gary, and just out of curiosity. It was definitely not dangerous there at like 4 pm. There were abandoned homes, but some really nice ones too. I barely saw anyone, and a gas station I stopped at was fine too. It was like an average gas station in indiana, nothing more. I think you get what I mean

    • @_elijamal
      @_elijamal 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      I think this is a bad characterization of Gray tbh. My step dad has some of his family in Gray (we live in IL by state line) it’s not a place I would say have a lot of potential. Although it’s not the murder capital anymore I do believe Gray is not the safest place to be and it maybe safer than Chicago but with only 60k residents and half of the infrastructure abandon I’m sure crime exist in some form. Indiana is a corrupt state and the only reason ppl decide to live in Indy is because cost of living is way cheaper. Other than that I’m not sure why anybody would live in Indy

    • @fjb4932
      @fjb4932 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      I keep hearing in the comments that it's not the murder capital any more, and actually the murder rate is quite low.
      Is that because they've run out of murder victims ? ☆

    • @gordonlandreth9550
      @gordonlandreth9550 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      Get a huge demolition machine and start knocking down those old houses . The city or the state may even pay you big bucks to do it . Then collect all the bricks that can be used again , and sell 'em to the construction companies to build new homes there . Just a thought from CA . Go to the city and tell them - no more abandoned houses ! Turn it back into farmland !

  • @carlorizzo5308
    @carlorizzo5308 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    5 years ago I got stuck in Gary Indiana's fire station number 13 back lot with my tractor trailer... they had to come with a wrecker to pull me out LOL. But the guys that were in the firehouse and on-call were so nice to me and they offered me dinner spaghetti with meatballs. I turned it down and just wanted to get on my way. But they had absolute awesome hospitality

  • @skipmatsey7738
    @skipmatsey7738 2 ปีที่แล้ว +806

    Many don’t realize that Gary was once the most dynamic city in Indiana. Blue collar jobs with benefits, entertainment from Sinatra and the Rat Pack,affordable housing, quality post- secondary education at IU/ Purdue NW, quality healthcare.

    • @bodeezy78
      @bodeezy78 2 ปีที่แล้ว +38

      And birthplace of mj

    • @mistamycall
      @mistamycall 2 ปีที่แล้ว +35

      The Jackson 5 were born tbere.

    • @clineshaunt
      @clineshaunt 2 ปีที่แล้ว +66

      @Wally Reyes It probably had to do more with 10s of thousands of steel jobs lost in the 80s when St. Reagan was in office. But hey, don't let facts get in the way of your blind hate.

    • @drpicmeup
      @drpicmeup 2 ปีที่แล้ว +35

      I'm a Gary native and I went to Purdue NW for engineering. My dad moved to Gary from Mississippi and met my mom. I heard so many great stories about Gary from all the adults when I was younger. As a civil engineer, I look at the infrastructure and just imagine the possibilities. Gary needs a strong comeback!

    • @themidnightlycan8116
      @themidnightlycan8116 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Used to

  • @neurotransmissions
    @neurotransmissions 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6170

    I pass through Gary on my way to the Indiana Dunes and man, they do themselves no favors by having that rotten egg smell washing over the highway as you drive by. Which is too bad because there are parts of Gary that look very beautiful!

    • @fredericom2650
      @fredericom2650 2 ปีที่แล้ว +31

      LMao

    • @cosslogan1043
      @cosslogan1043 2 ปีที่แล้ว +128

      Reminds me of Hamilton, Ontario

    • @asklouie
      @asklouie 2 ปีที่แล้ว +153

      It's true. The smell is unbearable.

    • @russellmarra8520
      @russellmarra8520 2 ปีที่แล้ว +248

      That smell is from one of the only remaining coke plants in America, on the east end of USS.

    • @user-vi4xy1jw7e
      @user-vi4xy1jw7e 2 ปีที่แล้ว +49

      Which part is beautiful exactly? Lol

  • @pacocreates
    @pacocreates ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Great presentation and content! So sad to see towns like this die down. Hopefully, it will bounce back.

    • @creerenee
      @creerenee 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      I thought this was a great video as well! I have hope for my city and pray for a come back one day.

  • @avlasting3507
    @avlasting3507 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent. I hope Gary does come back. 🙏

  • @heru-deshet359
    @heru-deshet359 2 ปีที่แล้ว +346

    I dated a girl from Gary, In back in 1984. Went with her for Thanksgiving to visit her folks. From the moment we were picked up at the train station and drove through Gary to her house, I was shocked at what a shit hole of a place it was then. I can only imagine what a depressing hell hole it must be now.

    • @ahmedzakikhan7639
      @ahmedzakikhan7639 ปีที่แล้ว +29

      Is it easier to pick up ladies in Gary. You know when you move to certain third world countries you are treated as a star.

    • @olympia5758
      @olympia5758 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@ahmedzakikhan7639 Oh yeah, it's the same thing. They all want to get the fuck out.

    • @357SWAGNUM_MAGA_X
      @357SWAGNUM_MAGA_X ปีที่แล้ว

      @@ahmedzakikhan7639 yea buddy!!!

  • @rogerwilco2
    @rogerwilco2 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1400

    We have a city with a somewhat similar history in the Netherlands: Delfzijl, built around and aluminium plant.
    When it's fortunes turned, the national government stepped in and basically paid to demolish half the city and relocate the remaining residents into the other half.
    A lot of the housing was built very poorly, especially in the 1950s and 1960s, so it was easy to pick places to tear down.
    It's now doing much better, being half the size it used to be, but with a much more diverse industry.

    • @lioraselby5328
      @lioraselby5328 2 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      @@donnerwetter1905 the Ruhrgbiet sounds a lot like Pittsburgh then

    • @beastateverythin
      @beastateverythin 2 ปีที่แล้ว +37

      @@Juan-hv9bi lots of ‘luxury’ apartments with good road or freeway access, i.e. car centric, is what I see around me as new development in the US right now

    • @daveharrison84
      @daveharrison84 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      A big university campus would be a good idea for Gary.

    • @SuWoopSparrow
      @SuWoopSparrow 2 ปีที่แล้ว +42

      @@donnerwetter1905 " European rust belt cities have a much more diverse economy", I dont think its fair to say this as it implies the diverse economy was there and prevented collapse. Declining European cities made the conscious decision to diversify when they saw problems brewing. That is the actual difference - Europeans are far more likely to think long term and shift gears/diversify than Americans who want to keep things the same.
      Look at coal workers still arguing to keep their jobs around with truly compelling logic such as: "its my job". Look at how many declining cities in America double down on their current trajectory rather than expanding and diversifying.

    • @Dave_Sisson
      @Dave_Sisson 2 ปีที่แล้ว +49

      Geelong in Victoria, Australia, also avoided the fate of Gary. It was a city of 200,000 dominated by heavy industry; an aluminium smelter, Ford engine factory, oil refinery, etc. Then most of that heavy industry (except for the refinery) closed down within a few years.
      But both the state and federal governments poured a LOT of well targeted money into it. There was lots of assistance to establish new businesses in more modern industries. Some failed, but others are now mid-sized companies employing many people. More money was spent on retraining workers with obsolete skills. The rail line to nearby Melbourne, a city of 5 million, was improved and sped up, the freeway got extra lanes and a fast ferry to the centre of Melbourne was introduced. This encouraged people tired of the huge city to move to modestly sized Geelong and commute to work in Melbourne.
      All these projects combined to save Geelong and it didn't shrink or develop dangerous areas. The loss of the factories and heavy industry actually made it a nicer place to live and it continued to do well after the assistance and economic stimulus projects were wound down.

  • @johnwagner409
    @johnwagner409 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Both my husband and I were born in Gary in the 1930's. It was a nice town then and had some beautiful buildings. My family moved to Hammond, but my husband's family lived in Glen Park. It is so sad to see what has happened to Gary. I hope it can experience a turn around. Cheryl Wagner

  • @ericbruder6378
    @ericbruder6378 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great video finally some positive stuff you have very nice sounding voice

  • @theeleven42
    @theeleven42 2 ปีที่แล้ว +420

    I grew up in South Bend, about an hour from Gary. In the 90s there were multiple stories from friends who upon driving into Gary at night, would be pulled over by the police and told that it'd be in their best interest to turn around and leave as it wasn't safe.

    • @dementedmindstate7063
      @dementedmindstate7063 2 ปีที่แล้ว +54

      I heard that about Camden, NJ. They said red lights and stop signs mean go.

    • @suranae
      @suranae 2 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      @@dementedmindstate7063 Camden NJ does suck mightly.

    • @voiceofreason1208
      @voiceofreason1208 2 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      I've also heard of police telling people not to stop at red lights/stop signs because they will likely get carjacked.

    • @solidrockofjesuschristmini2423
      @solidrockofjesuschristmini2423 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@voiceofreason1208 I mean yeah your asking for it if you stop, there are ppl waiting for you to stop and Rob you, you yield at best if your in a bad area, if you stop doesn't mean you will get robbed your just asking for it

    • @michaelcap9550
      @michaelcap9550 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Makes Flint look good by comparison.

  • @AbananaPEEl
    @AbananaPEEl 2 ปีที่แล้ว +773

    As an Indianapolis native, ive always heard stories and jokes about how dangerous Gary is. Then finally, in 2020, i had a bus stop there, and it was the first time ever actually being there. It didn't feel that dangerous. Just empty.

    • @Mister8224
      @Mister8224 2 ปีที่แล้ว +166

      Criminal gotta sleep sometime too. Give it a couple hours.

    • @kyokusei
      @kyokusei 2 ปีที่แล้ว +47

      A classmate of mine was killed in Gary, which neighbors my city.

    • @leezhieng
      @leezhieng 2 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      Gangs will move to metropolis where there are more money to rob/make.

    • @secretsquirrel572
      @secretsquirrel572 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Did you get off the bus?

    • @gamecokben
      @gamecokben 2 ปีที่แล้ว +38

      @@leezhieng I don't think you understand how gangs operate, or honestly even what they are

  • @rpm773
    @rpm773 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    That berm (0:17 in the movie) is on 9th ave and the Cline ave overpass. On the other side of the expressway, the road is in disrepair and there's the 9th ave superfund site. The berm was put in place to keep any floodwaters from the superfund site from flowing into the residential community. If the fine folks of Gary want to invade Hammond, they are welcome to do so via 5th Ave / US 20.

  • @ba-dam9991
    @ba-dam9991 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Well done👍

  • @mauricegillespie704
    @mauricegillespie704 2 ปีที่แล้ว +231

    It breaks my heart to see the current state of the city. I grew up in Gary and graduated from that last public High School, West Side High School in 1992. Although Gary was already in a state of decline in my childhood, it was a good place for me to grow up and I now realize that we received an excellent education in the Gary School System at that time. Myself, and many of my classmates have gone on to further our education and build successful careers in every field from Medicine to Education, Law, Business and Politics. Some really amazing people came from Gary and hope that it can again become a great place to grow up.

    • @GaZonk100
      @GaZonk100 2 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      you write well...that good education shows

    • @adamdavis5312
      @adamdavis5312 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      How many of you and your well educated friends stayed in Gary yo become successful lawyers, doctors, and business men/women in that city??

    • @jeffhreid
      @jeffhreid 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@adamdavis5312 excellent observation. Smart hardworking folk tend to leave decaying cities, and for good reason

    • @d.e.carter5129
      @d.e.carter5129 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Born and raised in Gary as well (Wirt c/o '94). I grew up by Wells Street Beach, and it was beautiful. I would go back and live but its too depressing and no jobs.

    • @genevadixon8426
      @genevadixon8426 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      LW ‘81. Gary did have a very good school system.
      Thanks for sharing your experiences there.

  • @MrsTayIor
    @MrsTayIor ปีที่แล้ว +674

    My mother in law, aged 70 now, grew up in Gary. Lots of interesting stories. Her and her brothers used to play with Michael Jackson and one of his brothers when they were younger. She has lots of memories of how dangerous it was even in back in her time. Having to carry a butcher knife to the bus stop early in the mornings and almost getting gang raped while she waited at the library for her brother to pick her up outside. It was rough as far back as she could remember.

    • @tias.6675
      @tias.6675 ปีที่แล้ว +48

      Wow ! Katherine Jackson spoke on how bad it had become by the 1960s as well.

    • @christopherhall5361
      @christopherhall5361 ปีที่แล้ว

      need to bring a butcher knife to the bus stop....what a fine upstanding place

    • @judeirwin2222
      @judeirwin2222 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      Dunder(head)... not “ Her and her brothers”, but “ She and her brothers”. English is a wonderful language. Take care of it.

    • @MrsTayIor
      @MrsTayIor ปีที่แล้ว +160

      @@judeirwin2222 You failed to provide anything constructive to the topic of conversation. Perhaps you should learn some interpersonal communication skills and we'll be even.

    • @ShapezPuller64
      @ShapezPuller64 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Dude, just take the correction in stride.

  • @christinadukes6927
    @christinadukes6927 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I just moved to Thornton Illinois and I would love for you to do a video. It’s a great little small town.

  • @QuesoGr7
    @QuesoGr7 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    Its crazy how this city gave us one of the most famous music artist/entertainers in history.

    • @chipskylark172
      @chipskylark172 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

      It didn’t take long for Michael to leave Gary in the dust lol they were living in Los Angeles since he was like a kid. Smart move 😂

  • @DejanSmaic
    @DejanSmaic 2 ปีที่แล้ว +672

    When I lived in Chicago during the 1990's, Gary was dubbed "Scary Gary". At one time, the Mayor of Gary had a parade of Law Enforcement from hundreds of departments as a Show of Force to the criminal element.

    • @DejanSmaic
      @DejanSmaic 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @BleedBlue Colts True, but this did happen around 1997ish while I was living in Schaumburg, Illinois. It made national news and was a BIG deal then. Do the research...

    • @DejanSmaic
      @DejanSmaic 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @BleedBlue Colts I’m sure it was the State troopers. I’m sorry you had to live there. I certainly would not call it a figment of my imagination. So, I’m correct for the most part. Apology accepted buddy.

    • @DejanSmaic
      @DejanSmaic 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @BleedBlue Colts well, I certainly do recall LE bumper to bumper showing off their presence to Gary and news outlets.

    • @derp195
      @derp195 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @Purple RayNope. I live in Chicago, and Gary is stunningly bleak.

    • @docvaliant721
      @docvaliant721 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Yup scary Gary

  • @EthanPricco
    @EthanPricco 2 ปีที่แล้ว +237

    A few years ago my family drove through Gary while on a road trip and we were all shocked by how run-down and empty the city was. There was no one walking around and there were only a few cars driving around. It was pretty much a ghost town.

    • @richardcline1337
      @richardcline1337 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      When gangs move in and take over, Gary is what you get! Who wants to live in a place like that?

    • @markmac2206
      @markmac2206 2 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      its the armpit of Chicago now, no deodorant.

    • @iang8169
      @iang8169 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Richard cline . yes but the video says that Gary went from the highest murder rate in the u.s to not even making the top 10 murder rates in Indiana. So it appears that when a city s pop keeps dropping and there is a huge drop in people to rob ,then criminals move out of town too

    • @crazychase98
      @crazychase98 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@iang8169 They just killed each other off.

    • @nastrael
      @nastrael 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@iang8169 Murder rates are down but property theft, substance abuse(meth and heroine) and "violent crime"(assault, rape, robbery etc) are sky high. As in ~2x the national average high.
      Gary is an absolute shithole.

  • @MisterRose90
    @MisterRose90 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I lived in nearby portage Indiana my entire life. It’s about 15 or 20 minutes from Gary. Its was About the same drive to Lake Michigan. My dad and his parents lived in Gary for a long time, actually. When I went to visit them needless to say we didn’t go very many places. My mom worked for Bethlehem steel then went to US steel when I was a kid.

  • @simonealexander7313
    @simonealexander7313 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    This was really interesting - thank you. I agree with your assertion that cities aren't built to lose population quickly. Seems like there's a few examples like this in the US - I was aware that Detroit had whole areas of abandoned housing, and Google street view shows the same is true of Gary.

  • @Corcook
    @Corcook 2 ปีที่แล้ว +565

    If we want to breathe sulfuric acid and get our heads torn off by giant lizards, we can always go to Gary, Indiana.

    • @GEARofRESISTANCE43
      @GEARofRESISTANCE43 2 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      Even I would never send you to Gary, Indiana!

    • @jthereffman
      @jthereffman 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      I live near there and yeah it does smell like sulfur

    • @SiameseCheese
      @SiameseCheese 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Why does it smell like sulfur? Is it from the mill(s)?

    • @jthereffman
      @jthereffman 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      @@SiameseCheese yes

    • @jthereffman
      @jthereffman 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Specifically from the coal used

  • @JetWarrior
    @JetWarrior 2 ปีที่แล้ว +449

    I'm from Vegas, so your talk of "Company Cities" really kind of caught my attention. There is one nearby--Boulder City, which was built for the workers of the Hoover Dam (back then, it was Boulder Dam). Being "paternal," as you mentioned, it is also the only city in the entire state of Nevada where Gambling is not legal. I know that wasn't the point of this video, I just never really thought upon this concept.
    EDIT - Actually, there is one other town in Nevada that prohibits gambling--Panaca. The closest casino is about 15 mins. outside of the city limits.

    • @FlymanMS
      @FlymanMS 2 ปีที่แล้ว +33

      Fallout New Vegas made it famous, I was surprised when I learned Boulder City is a real place

    • @SynchroSk8
      @SynchroSk8 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      I always immediately think of Boulder City! Another one in Arizona was Goodyear, which was clearly named after the rubber company. They needed a specific kind of cotton that could be grown in Arizona. Company Cities are so fascinating.

    • @0fficialdregs
      @0fficialdregs 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      i heard of Boulder City through the many documentaries about the Hoover Dam

    • @tomtrask_YT
      @tomtrask_YT 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      I recall seeing a video once about how Boulder City was basically Ottumwa Iowa transplanted to the desert to attract workers for the dam (a little bit like the current man-camps in North Dakota to bring workers for the oil and gas development except those jobs are temporary (a dam isn't?))

    • @wernerdanler2742
      @wernerdanler2742 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      I live in Vegas. I did not know there was no gambling in Boulder City.
      FYI: citizens of Monaco are not allowed to gamble in the casinos.
      I can understand Boulder not wanting workers on the dam to gamble while it was being built but that was way back in the 1930s.

  • @hichrisperry
    @hichrisperry 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Accidentally went through Gary once on the way to Chicago. It was indescribably eerie. Abandoned streets but you feel like you're being watched at the same time. 15 minutes in that city was enough for me.

    • @peternagy-im4be
      @peternagy-im4be หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      You probably were being watched

    • @hichrisperry
      @hichrisperry หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@peternagy-im4be yeah, I assumed... Ended up going through a red light and down the wrong way on a 1-way road to get back on the highway quicker. Wife and I weren't waiting around. Eery place even for me and I grew up in Appalachian country.

    • @peternagy-im4be
      @peternagy-im4be หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@hichrisperry for Gary read many US cities

  • @deniseconsultant1538
    @deniseconsultant1538 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thanks again

  • @reallue
    @reallue 2 ปีที่แล้ว +427

    I live in Highland, near Gary. There was also a serial killer just a few years ago, hiding bodies in the tens of thousands of vacant buildings in gary. So, it's not exactly safe but there are ppl investing & trying to improve it.

    • @intruative
      @intruative 2 ปีที่แล้ว +104

      I read this as he was stuffing tens of thousands of bodies in the abandoned buildings, not that there are tens of thousands of abandoned buildings lmao, I was like how has this guy not been caught??

    • @birch8109
      @birch8109 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      @@intruative same

    • @Alxotaku
      @Alxotaku 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      yeah i remeber that if i remeber right the guy had been doing the same thing i think in texas or it was arizona either way it goes should've kept the guy in prison

    • @johnhughes1783
      @johnhughes1783 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      Is that your sales pitch?

    • @kylein9869
      @kylein9869 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@johnhughes1783 Lol

  • @tluns810
    @tluns810 2 ปีที่แล้ว +252

    As a kid back in the 60's -70's we used to travel through Gary on our way to Detroit, and I still have vivid memories of the Black smoke stacks, and awful smell as me and my siblings tried to hold our noses until we got to the other side of Gary where the air cleared up a bit.

    • @TippyTop420
      @TippyTop420 2 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      That's a very nice memory.

    • @blainelee8021
      @blainelee8021 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Detroit ain't no better.

  • @mattmurphy8288
    @mattmurphy8288 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I’m a trucker that had to pick up a load of sugar in Gary yesterday… it is pretty run down… traffic signals that have gone bad have 4 way stop signs added… they didn’t bother to take down the signals… yet you see the occasional well kept house … we got money for Ukraine but nothing for cities like Gary… sad

  • @by9917
    @by9917 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Back in 1980 I accidentally got into Gary. I was driving a 22ft straight bed. Suddenly there was no one on the street and it looked like a war zone. It made me nervous, and I did a U-turn and left. At the time I live in Benton Harbor, MI, yet Gary made me nervous.

  • @rappscallion3238
    @rappscallion3238 2 ปีที่แล้ว +402

    This, if anything, shows the danger of being dependent of a single large company employer. Cities need to diversify their labor market.

    • @havocproltd
      @havocproltd 2 ปีที่แล้ว +41

      I'm sure the early 20th century will take note of your observation.

    • @rrsharizam
      @rrsharizam 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Not as easy as it sounds.

    • @skaterdavedownsouth
      @skaterdavedownsouth 2 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      Ummmmmm the city often develops BECAUSE of the industry.

    • @munchenonyou3774
      @munchenonyou3774 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@havocproltd dont repeat history you goof howd you misinterpret that

    • @havocproltd
      @havocproltd 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@munchenonyou3774 I'm sorry. I must have been blinded by the stunning display of the self evident. And i don't even know what "diversify their labor market" means.

  • @jah2724
    @jah2724 2 ปีที่แล้ว +411

    Back in the 80s I was a teenager with my family on a road trip and our car broke down on the highway in Gary. They towed us off to a repair shop there. As middle class suburbanites, we felt trepidation. But everyone we dealt with during our 24 hour stay was without exception friendly, helpful and caring. It opened my eyes to the fact that even in a rough place, there are many fine people.

    • @phillyfan3942
      @phillyfan3942 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Maybe he did it intentionally

    • @billchambers7760
      @billchambers7760 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      That's awesome. It's always a blessing to meet such people, especially in time of need.

    • @leahflower9924
      @leahflower9924 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      oh my god are you the Griswolds? lol

    • @missesmew
      @missesmew 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@phillyfan3942 lmfao, your terrible sir, probably right but still terrible. lol

    • @eliwallace3825
      @eliwallace3825 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      what kind of National Lampoon shit is this lmfao

  • @JustCurious313
    @JustCurious313 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I'm from Northwest Indiana. Please revive Gary🙏 It was such a great city!

    • @eileendonald8628
      @eileendonald8628 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      I grew up in Gary, it was doomed after the steel mills pulled out. I had a great childhood there in my community. There were beautiful classic homes, we were relatively safe, it wasn’t until the end of my highs school years that we finally moved, it wasn’t because of the crime. A police officer shot at a muscle car for revving his engine and peeled out after his traffic light turned green directly in front of our house. It’s tragic how it deteriorated. I’ll always have fond memories of my life in Gary. I’d love to see a revitalization of Gary.

  • @nik1128
    @nik1128 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I once got lost near Gary. I was only there for a very short time but it's such a depressing place. Idk how anyone wakes up to this place every day. I wouldn't last a week.

  • @Blacknight00D
    @Blacknight00D 2 ปีที่แล้ว +406

    I'm from Cleveland and a huge Michael Jackson fan. So my wife and I went from Cleveland to Chicago for our anniversary on August 29th. We wanted to to see MJs original house on the way since it's right off rt 90 in Gary. We got stopped by a flood of armed cops and random people dancing the street. We initially assumed this happened a lot not realizing August 29th was Michael Jackson's birthday.

    • @I_Lemaire
      @I_Lemaire 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      That's so funny, though. You must love your wife so much.

    • @Blacknight00D
      @Blacknight00D 2 ปีที่แล้ว +57

      @@I_Lemaire maybe not as much as I thought since I put her in imminent danger just driving to Gary lol

    • @kylein9869
      @kylein9869 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      That's an everyday thing in Gary

    • @Dave2one6
      @Dave2one6 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I'm from Cleveland too. When I was in the air force a friend of mine who came on leave with me seen wish bone in a western union on st Clair. Special day for him like it was for yall.

    • @dneen_ivonsUniverse
      @dneen_ivonsUniverse 2 ปีที่แล้ว +29

      I just visited Gary last June for Michael Jackson's death anniversary ( I'm a Super Michael Jackson fan as well) and I was shocked by the city itself, it gave me a feeling of doom, I was like, no wonder Joe wanted to get his family out of there

  • @Mrnotpib
    @Mrnotpib 2 ปีที่แล้ว +453

    Cleveland: well, at least we’re not Detroit.
    Detroit: well, at least we’re not Gary, Indiana.
    Gary, Indiana: *harsh, bellowing, cold winds of silent nothingness*

    • @BLSoldier00
      @BLSoldier00 2 ปีที่แล้ว +37

      Youngstown, Ohio: *pats Gary*

    • @2011phill
      @2011phill 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Atleast there not flint mi.

    • @hyrulebass
      @hyrulebass 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Detroit > Cleveland

    • @user-di3uz7vf5f
      @user-di3uz7vf5f 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@2011phill I feel bad for the people in Gary because I was raised in Flint sad to say but very true

    • @idjc2621
      @idjc2621 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Well It Is What It Is…Born & Raised Hovey St to Miller Dunes.

  • @michaelschaumburg589
    @michaelschaumburg589 ปีที่แล้ว

    My Dad has some family buried in that town.. All the years I’ve been in the town and I never had any thought of that the Jackson’s use to live in that area

  • @Nazz1952
    @Nazz1952 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I was in a band that played a benefit at The Club on Route 20 in Gary, for Mayor Hatcher.

  • @beej741
    @beej741 2 ปีที่แล้ว +584

    I never knew about Hammond physically severing ties with Gary. That's really incredible.

    • @lildurpy
      @lildurpy 2 ปีที่แล้ว +35

      And kinda sad

    • @PrinceCezar27
      @PrinceCezar27 2 ปีที่แล้ว +39

      White flight at its finest.

    • @donnix768
      @donnix768 2 ปีที่แล้ว +128

      @@PrinceCezar27 That is simply untrue. I am a lifelong hammond resident, Hammond is connected to Gary by several streets, 169th street which turns into 15th avenue in Gary. It is also connected by 177th street which becomes 25th in Gary. Just like Route 41 becomes Lake Shore Drive connecting Hammond to its neighbor city of Chicago. The road in hammond that was cut off from Gary was because it was a residential area that wanted to cut down on traffic. Hammond is a multi cultural city so your theory is white flight is a lie. Don’t comment on places you know nothing about.

    • @jamesbarca7229
      @jamesbarca7229 2 ปีที่แล้ว +60

      @@donnix768You're right that it had nothing to do with white flight, but it wasn't just a matter of cutting down traffic b/c there wasn't much traffic going down 9th Av. at that point. I remember when Hammond and Gary had their little "war" over that. Hammond put up a dirt barrier under the bridge and Gary came along and removed it. So Hammond put it back up and posted some cops to guard it, and Gary came along to try to remove it again and a several days long standoff ensued. Gary cried racism. Hammond said it was to prevent contaminated runoff from the Midco site. We all knew it was to stop people from committing crimes and quickly fleeing back to Gary, which happened a lot. Loven Oven Pizza, which was located right next to the bridge there, moved because they were constantly being robbed. Closing that road prevented a lot of crime in that corner of Hessville. Just the fact that they now had to go down to 169th, deal with the stoplight, and cross the bridge was enough to discourage most of it.
      It had nothing to do with racism, as you pointed out Hammond is multi racial. It was purely a crime prevention measure, and an effective one at that.

    • @sultanofswing7198
      @sultanofswing7198 2 ปีที่แล้ว +53

      @@PrinceCezar27 and if the whites all wanted to move in you would call it gentrification. You are a fool.

  • @nickzap2473
    @nickzap2473 ปีที่แล้ว +374

    My brother used to be a truck driver. He stopped in Gary one night, thinking a suburb would be safer than Chicago itself. He went inside a gas station, and there were security guards. That gas station has since had a massive fire.

    • @oatmeal710
      @oatmeal710 ปีที่แล้ว

      gary at night is more dangerous than any part of chicago

    • @dudeinacar9680
      @dudeinacar9680 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      I remember when Downton Gary got bordered up with a facade window fronts on stores. It went downhill fast.
      But 30 years later... that White Castle Restaurant is still there on Broadway, downtown.

    • @chrisnelson3046
      @chrisnelson3046 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      Yeah I drive across country and thought the same thing. First gas station I go into has 3 inch thick plexiglass and the clerks expression was like wtf a white guy doing in here lol

    • @chrispychicken9614
      @chrispychicken9614 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Gas do be flammable

    • @BeBopScraBoo
      @BeBopScraBoo ปีที่แล้ว +5

      the first time i drove through gary on the interstate there was a little suburban neighborhood that very closely resembled the one i grew up in, only it looked like it was built maybe 10 years earlier. it was empty, except for a couple abandonded rusted out cars in the driveways. every time i drove past it would be a little more run down, more moss on roofs, until eventually the little buffer area was so overgrown you couldn't see it from the highway anymore.

  • @schallrd1
    @schallrd1 ปีที่แล้ว

    There are lots of guys named Gary from Gary. There are some nice beaches on Lake Michigan near Gary.

  • @hans-joergwahmkow2621
    @hans-joergwahmkow2621 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I worked at the steel mill from 1990 to 1992. Gary was extremly scary back then. I lived in Merrillville, which was okay.

  • @Bestfriendpete
    @Bestfriendpete 2 ปีที่แล้ว +149

    I drove through Gary a few years ago, and spent about 30 minutes or so in the city, went to see the house where Michael Jackson grew up… I must say, Gary is by far the most depressing city I’ve ever visited. It’s filled with abandoned homes and businesses everywhere you look. I hope one day to hear Gary has made a grand turnaround.

    • @gumity
      @gumity 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      They're doing their best to work on it. There are a lot of old dilapidated structures down Broadway that they've been tearing down and they're working on replacing them slowly but surely. There's a lot of such construction going on in a lot of areas, hopefully it'll help a bit not having to see all the burned and gutted buildings everywhere and it'll give room to grow new businesses.

    • @gumity
      @gumity 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @Carl Ferrigno There's actually plenty of people and money to support businesses to an extent, but especially on Broadway. There are a lot of people that commute either to places on Broadway (I sometimes work at a government center there) or go through Broadway to be elsewhere, it's a pretty busy road. A lot of people are looking forward to what gets built on the stretch they're working on.

    • @supratimbhunia8063
      @supratimbhunia8063 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I also went to see Michael Jackson's house and nearby school etc with my family,there is surely enough points to come back again for this neighborhood city of Chicago

    • @professionalamateur1549
      @professionalamateur1549 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      😂😂

    • @milomilo6404
      @milomilo6404 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Never

  • @GoldenKing05
    @GoldenKing05 2 ปีที่แล้ว +621

    As a Hoosier whenever anything bad happens or looks bad in a town you always say "well it's not as bad as Gary". It's very sad to see the buildings there rot away, and even though its an end to a lot of jokes, i hope that the city can see the light of day soon.

    • @Skud0rz
      @Skud0rz 2 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      A lot of the buildings that are rotting look really cool and unique architecture, its sad

    • @jonathanbowers8964
      @jonathanbowers8964 2 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      Honestly it is prime real estate for redevelopment. It is right on Lake Michigan and next to Chicago. It could easily become the next Holland Michigan if developers put a bit of effort into gentrification.

    • @carfreeneoliberalgeorgisty5102
      @carfreeneoliberalgeorgisty5102 2 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      It depends. A lot of tax codes and zoning codes either prohibit people from making investments into a community or punish them for doing so. A progressive land value tax and an abolishment of euclidean zoning could help a lot of struggling US cities.

    • @jonathanbowers8964
      @jonathanbowers8964 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@carfreeneoliberalgeorgisty5102 I agree. I honestly think that considering Gary is practically a ghost town today, it would probably be best to abolish the city and start over. Maybe call it Chicago Heights, Bay City, or Lakeview. A total rebranding and total start over could work. Not much of the buildings there are even worth salvaging and considering it lost 90% of it's peak population it practically is already abandoned.

    • @carfreeneoliberalgeorgisty5102
      @carfreeneoliberalgeorgisty5102 2 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      @@jonathanbowers8964 I don't know if tearing down the city and starting over is a great idea. It's near impossible to create a thriving city from scratch since cities grow incrimentally and urban prosperity is a very bottom up process. Creating the conditions that allow for economic prosperity is a much better idea.

  • @DrethenHyena
    @DrethenHyena 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Late to the party here, but as someone from England's Steel city it was super interesting to see the history of somewhere based around the same industry :)

  • @grecianatalia3283
    @grecianatalia3283 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    As someone from East Chicago, Indiana at Notre Dame, I often get confused for being from Gary. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I hate the assumptions people automatically make because someone can be from Gary/a nearby area. People often have a lot to say about Gary, but don’t understand why it is the way it is.

    • @emmabenedek646
      @emmabenedek646 ปีที่แล้ว

      PUBLIC APATHY. The situation in US is horrific. Theres folks going around pointing cameras at semi derelict cities and towns all over the place. Theres people living there in total poverty. One of them inhabited by females on their own. Whole streets with empty shops, gas stations and diners and wharehouses all starting to collapse. How come that nation paid people to walk about on a moon. Why are they staring into space trying to find 'life' when they cant even manage what they have. Do you think any distant civilisation would tolerate the people here// Why are you assuming they would be like you. Foir instabncxer whats all this about Police killing a 1000 people a yr. They dont seem to do that to the corrupt. In UK we are experiencing Police attacks too who are sent on behalf of religion. They told us that the evidence we gathered during 12 yrs traipse round vCent London accompanied by victims cannot be revealed to public. They also told us that theres no such thing as 'Natural Talent'. theres only what your teacher teaches. That attitude killed millions US Nativ Americans and Germany did same to tribes in Africa. This is the 3rd attaxck we have experienced after doing state of the art work on so called incurable clients sent to us by Health system. They had recd anything up to 22 yrs 'treatment' They needed six hours. One of them would have died that nite had we not broken in to get to her. We wewre then told to stop the work which was threatening establ jobs so around 12-15 000 died and the issues covered up by Local Govt. Police. HM Coroners. HM Courts. HM Psychiatry Charities. Press. 17 universities who are in league with Int drug firms. f-book and Twitter destroyed all our mails and all websites also disappeared. We have no access to Parliament or Law or Health or Welfare. We are woriied anbout dying cos this place coulds be ransacked by Police and the public would do nothing. We are a Jewish Family who came to UK to escape the very activities going on in UK. We came here with two suitcases and 80 yrs old granma. we were washing up dishes in hotel and taking scraps food home. no one offered any help. We left behind jobs in the Law System. Now lets think about this site. People are goin around filming other pewoples misery so what the persons criteria. Why dont they go raise hell at the aeras Political representative for those areas. Why dont they stop and knock at all the doors to see if the folks need food por help with property maintenance. Why are peopole sitting watching all this and doing nothing. Is it becauase the victims aree not 'relatives' If so you need waking up. No change in 10.000 yrs. Stop the deception. 5000 comments have not changed anything.The UK and Europe are also horrific. The EEC has told us that nothing can be done about corruption or the attacks on us. Maybe wre should try to get out of here urgent before we end up dead. The natives that the US killed knew how to survive. You dont. You killed most them wheres the guilt we dont see any. Waste time putting comments on sites, the people are all going in different directions. There will one day be pay back because theres no attempt to change. God help me and asny innocent people. But where they are dont know.

  • @satchelh
    @satchelh 2 ปีที่แล้ว +229

    I walked around Gary a few times in the summer of 1996 and I have to say Gary looks better now than it did then. When I went inside a Grocery store, a liquor store and a convenient store I noticed I was the only one without a pistol either in a holster or tucked in a waistband. People were driving at highway speeds on Fifth and took off from red lights like they were on a drag strip. Union Station was an occupied abandoned building with cars parked all the way around the building. Some junk, some running with people hanging out in them. It felt like a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

    • @cecilebraillie4471
      @cecilebraillie4471 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      I can't imagine going to a grocery store and seeing people with guns tucked in their waistband. Wouldn't you constantly fear for your life?

    • @neville132bbk
      @neville132bbk ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@cecilebraillie4471 Being in NZ,,, the only hand guns I have ever seen, once or twice, were on the belt of s Sydney (Aust) policeman. Our police do not carry guns and it is impossible to buy one as a private citizen, unless you belong to a gun club, of which there are not very many.

    • @a.b.sproductionsllc
      @a.b.sproductionsllc ปีที่แล้ว +1

      We’re you there when they were shooting the 1996 film “Original Gangstas?”

    • @eXTreemator
      @eXTreemator ปีที่แล้ว

      @WheresPaul#1981 hunting, harrassing, arresting, killing people over minor issues is part of american culture. Police just runs itself.

    • @m00nAlways0nMe
      @m00nAlways0nMe ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @WheresPaul#1981 That's because Japan is superior in every way.

  • @stevenclark8552
    @stevenclark8552 2 ปีที่แล้ว +363

    I see why Joe Jackson was so hell bent on leaving

    • @upabittoolate
      @upabittoolate 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Joe was there in the salad days.

    • @hught6885
      @hught6885 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      What a shit hole!!!

    • @upabittoolate
      @upabittoolate 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@hught6885 you've probably never been there.

    • @hught6885
      @hught6885 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@upabittoolate nope. Just looking at the pics is enough to make me NOT ever want to go there!

    • @alfredphillips3469
      @alfredphillips3469 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Joe Jackson left when Gary was still nice, they didn't leave because it was on the way down, the family left to pursue a dream, and the rest is history..

  • @zepar221
    @zepar221 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    In the summer of 2014 the guy driving wanted to stop at the casino in Gary after dark. I have never felt such fear just driving through a city. "This would be the perfect place for a serial killer" was the thought that popped into my head. Months later on the news they announced they had caught the Gary Strangler. Still to this day I wonder if he was one of the people I saw on the streets of Gary that night.