Gary

History

Founding and early years

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

Gary was the site of civil unrest in the 1919 General Steel Strike. On October 4, 1919, a riot broke out on Broadway, the main north–south street through downtown Gary, between steel workers and strike breakers brought in from outside. Indiana governor James P. Goodrich declared martial law three days later. Shortly after that, over 4,000 federal troops under the command of Major General Leonard Wood arrived to restore order.

The steel industry's jobs provided Gary with rapid growth and a diverse population within the first 26 years of its founding. In the 1920 United States census, 29.7% of Gary's population was classified as foreign-born, mostly from eastern European countries, with another 30.8% 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, Fort Wayne, and Evansville.

In 1930, 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, and 17.8% of the population was classified as black. Some 3.5% were classified as Mexican, now likely to be identified as Hispanic, as they included citizens and immigrants of other Spanish-speaking ethnicities.

Post-World War II

Gary's fortunes have risen and fallen with those of the steel industry. The growth of the steel industry brought prosperity to the community, and industrial workers gained middle-class standards of living. 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 neighborhoods.

In the 1960s, as manufacturing jobs moved out of the United States, Gary entered a period of decline. This also occurred in many other American urban centers that were reliant on one particular industry. Gary's decline was brought on by 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. The workforce declined to 6,000 by 1990, and 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.

1968 riots

In July 1968, riots broke out in Gary following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The governor ordered 3,000 National Guard members to assist local police with restoring order to the city. Curfews were enforced, and a ban on gasoline and liquor sales helped calm the violence. During the unrest, more than 110 people were arrested, at least three stores were set on fire, and at least 15 fire-bombings were reported.

Racial changes

A rapid racial change occurred in Gary during the late 20th century. Political power 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. In the 1950 Census, 97% of Gary's black population lived in this neighborhood.

In 1968, Gary voters elected one of the nation's first African-American mayors, Richard G. Hatcher, and hosted the groundbreaking 1972 National Black Political Convention.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Gary had the highest percentage of African-American residents among U.S. cities with a population of 100,000 or more, at 84% in the 2000 census.

Gary's population has fallen well below 100,000 residents. In 2013, the Gary Department of Redevelopment estimated that one-third of all homes in the city were unoccupied or abandoned.

U.S. Steel

U.S. Steel continues to be a major steel producer but has a small fraction of its previous workforce. The plant and allied facilities employed over 30,000 people in the early 1970s, but only 6,000 in 1990 and 2,246 in 2023.

While Gary has been unable to establish or replace the manufacturing base, it has worked to diversify. Two casinos opened along the Gary lakeshore in the 1990s, to create an entertainment destination. Their success was adversely affected by the eleven-year closure of the Cline Avenue Bridge, an important means of access to the area. It reopened in 2020 as a privately managed entity.

Today, Gary faces the difficulties of a Rust Belt city, including high unemployment and decaying infrastructure.

21st century

Gary has closed 21 public schools. While some school buildings have been reused, most remain unused since closing, and have been subjected to vandalism. As of 2014, Gary is considering closing additional schools in response to budget deficits.

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.

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. 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. She was reelected in 2015.

Mayor Freeman-Wilson was defeated in her bid for a third term in the 2019 Democratic primary by Lake County Assessor Jerome Prince. Since no challengers filed for the November 2019 general election, Prince's nomination was effectively tantamount to election. He succeeded Freeman-Wilson in January 2020.

In May 2021, a $300 million Hard Rock Casino opened in Gary. Branded as Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, the location includes memorabilia from the local entertainment family, the Jackson 5, and a 1,950-seat Hard Rock Live performance hall.

In August 2026, the city was affected by severe storms and an extended power outage. An estimated 375,000 customers of local utility company NiSource lost service, with approximately 30,000 still without power 12 days later.

Geography

The city is located at the southern end of the former lake bed of the prehistoric Lake Chicago and the current Lake Michigan. Most of the city's soil, nearly one foot below the surface, is pure sand. The sand beneath Gary and on its beaches is of such volume and quality that for over a century, companies have mined it, especially for the manufacture of glass.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 50.663 square miles (131.22 km2), of which 49.932 square miles (129.32 km2) is land and 0.731 square miles (1.89 km2) is water.

Gary is T-shaped, with its northern border on Lake Michigan. In the northwesternmost section, Gary borders Hammond and East Chicago; 165th Street, one of several roads connecting Hammond and Gary, has been walled off from Gary since 1981, initially due to a toxic flood. Miller Beach, Gary's easternmost neighborhood, borders Lake Station and Portage. Gary's southernmost section borders Griffith, Hobart, Merrillville, and unincorporated Ross. Gary is about 30 miles (48 km) from the Chicago Loop.

Gary contains the western portion of Indiana Dunes National Park, including Miller Woods, the western part of Long Lake, and the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education. Much of this is within Gary's Miller Beach neighborhood, although the park's western tip extends to downtown Gary.

Climate

Gary is listed by the Köppen-Geiger climate classification system as humid continental (Dfa). In July and August, the warmest months, high temperatures average 84 °F (29 °C) and peak just above 100 °F (38 °C), and low temperatures average 63 °F (17 °C). In January and February, the coldest months, high temperatures average around 29 °F (−2 °C) and low temperatures average 13 °F (−11 °C), with at least a few days of temperatures dipping below 0 °F (−18 °C).

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 1016 millimeters (40 inches). Summer is the rainiest season. Winters vary but are predominantly snowy. Snowfall in Gary averages approximately 63.5 centimeters (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.

Neighborhoods

Downtown Gary is separated by Broadway into two distinctive communities. Originally, the City of Gary consisted of The East Side, The West Side, The South Side (the area south of the train tracks near 9th Avenue), and Glen Park, located further South along Broadway. The East Side was demarcated by streets named after the States in order of their acceptance into the Union. This area contained mostly wood-frame houses, some of the earliest in the city, and became known in the 20th century for its ethnic populations from Europe and large families.

The single-family houses had repeating house designs that alternated from one street to another, with some streets looking very similar. Among the East Side's most notable buildings were Memorial Auditorium (a large red-brick and stone civic auditorium and the site of numerous events, concerts and graduations), The Palace Theater, Emerson School, St. Luke's Church, H.C. Gordon & Sons, and Goldblatt's Department stores, in addition to the Fair Department Store. All fronted Broadway as the main street that divided Gary.

The West Side of Gary, or West of Broadway, the principal commercial street, had streets named after the presidents of the United States in order of their election. Lytton's, Hudson's ladies store, J.C. Penney, and Radigan Bros Furniture Store developed on the west side of Broadway. Developed later, this side of town was known for its masonry or brick residences, its taller and larger commercial buildings, including the Gary National Bank Building, Hotel Gary (now Genesis Towers), The Knights of Columbus Hotel & Building (now affordable housing fronting 5th Avenue), the Tivoli Theater (demolished), the U.S. Post Office, Main Library, Mercy and Methodist Hospitals and Holy Angels Cathedral and School.

The West Side had a secondary principal street, Fifth Avenue, which was lined with many commercial businesses, restaurants, theaters, tall buildings, and elegant apartment buildings. The West Side was viewed as having wealthier residents. The houses dated from about 1908 to the 1930s. Much of the West Side's housing were for executives of U.S. Steel and other prominent businessmen.

Notable mansions were 413 Tyler Street and 636 Lincoln Street. Many of the houses were on larger lots. By contrast, a working-class area was made up of row houses made of poured concrete which were arranged together and known as "Mill Houses", built to house steel mill workers.

Demographics

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.

2020 census

In the 2020 census, Gary had a population of 69,093 and 28,610 households, including 16,459 families. The median age was 38.3 years. 26.5% of residents were under the age of 18, including 7.0% under the age of 5, and 17.9% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 85.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 79.9 males age 18 and over.

99.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.1% lived in rural areas.

Of the 28,610 households, 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 20.6% were married-couple households, 24.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 48.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 37,274 housing units, of which 23.2% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.9%. The population density was 1,388.9 inhabitants per square mile (536.3/km2).

2010 census

In the 2010 census, there were 80,294 people, 31,380 households, and 19,691 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,610.2 inhabitants per square mile (621.7/km2). There were 39,531 housing units at an average density of 792.7 per square mile (306.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 84.8% African American, 10.7% White, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 1.8% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 5.1% of the population. Non-Hispanic Whites were 8.9% of the population in 2010, down from 39.1% in 1970.

There were 31,380 households, of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.2% were married couples living together, 30.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.2% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.23.

The median age in the city was 36.7 years. 28.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.8% were from 25 to 44; 27.1% were from 45 to 64; and 14.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.0% male and 54.0% female.

2000 census

In the 2000 census, there were 102,746 people, 38,244 households, and 25,623 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,045.5 inhabitants per square mile (789.8/km2). There were 43,630 housing units at an average density of 868.6 per square mile (335.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 84.03% African American, 11.92% White, 0.21% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.97% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.93% of the population.

There were 38,244 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.2% were married couples living together, 30.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.28.

29.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,195, and the median income for a family was $32,205. Males had a median income of $34,992 versus $24,432 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,383. About 22.2% of families and 25.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.9% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Arts and film

Meredith Willson's 1957 Broadway musical The Music Man featured the song "Gary, Indiana", in which lead character (and con man) Professor Harold Hill wistfully recalls his purported hometown, then prosperous. Hill claims to be an alumnus of "Gary Conservatory of Music, Class of '05", but this is later revealed to be another of his lies. The City of Gary was not founded until 1906. Willson's musical, set in 1912, was adapted both as a film of the same name released in 1962, and as a television film, produced in 2003.

The 1996 urban film Original Gangstas was filmed in the city. It starred Gary native Fred Williamson, Pam Grier, Jim Brown, Richard Roundtree, and Isabel Sanford, among others. Since the early 2000s, Gary has been the setting for numerous films made by Hollywood filmmakers. In 2009, scenes for the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street were filmed in Gary. Scenes from Transformers: Dark of the Moon wrapped up filming on August 16, 2010.

The History Channel documentary Life After People was filmed in Gary, exploring areas that have deteriorated or been abandoned because of the loss of jobs and residents.

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

On 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.

The 2024 Netflix series 'The Deliverance' set in Gary is based on the Ammons haunting case which also occurred in Gary.

Historic places on the National Register

The following single properties and national historic districts are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

Public libraries

The Gary Public Library System consists of the main library at 220 West 5th Avenue and several branches: Brunswick Branch, W. E. B. DuBois Branch, J. F. Kennedy Branch, Tolleston Branch, and Woodson Branch. In March 2011, the Gary Library Board voted to close the main library on 5th Avenue and the Tolleston branch in what officials said was their best economic option. The main library closed at the end of 2011. The building now houses a museum.

Lake County Public Library operates the Black Oak Branch at 5921 West 25th Avenue in the Gary city limits. In addition, Indiana University Northwest operates the John W. Anderson Library on its campus.

Sports

The following sports franchises are based in Gary:

The Gary SouthShore RailCats are an American Association, professional baseball team. The team plays in Gary's U.S. Steel Yard baseball stadium. The RailCats played in the Northern League from 2002 until 2010. They now play in the modern American Association. The team won league championships in 2005, 2007, and 2013.

Gary has hosted two professional basketball franchises. The Gary Splash played in the International Basketball League from 2010 to 2013, at the Genesis Convention Center. Previously, the Gary Steelheads played in the Genesis Convention Center as part of the IBL (1999–2001), CBA, USBL, and IBL.

Education

Three school districts serve the city, and multiple charter schools are located within the city.

Public schools

Most areas of Gary are within the Gary Community School Corporation. Other areas within the city are administered by Lake Ridge Schools Corporation, which is the school system for the Black Oak neighborhood and unincorporated Calumet Township. Due to annexation law, Black Oak residents retained their original school system and were not required to attend Gary public schools. In 1927, it was mandated that Black students attend a separate high school. A few parts of Gary to the southeast are in the River Forest Community School Corporation.

Charter schools

Charter schools in Indiana, including those in Gary, are granted charters by one of a small number of chartering institutions. Indiana charter schools are generally managed in cooperation between the chartering institution, a local board of parents and community members, salaried school administrators, and a management company. Charter schools in Gary as of 2011 include Thea Bowman Leadership Academy, Charter School of the Dunes, Gary Lighthouse Charter School (formerly Blessed Sacrament Parish and Grade School), and 21st Century Charter.

Higher education

Gary is home to two regional state college campuses:

Indiana University Northwest

Ivy Tech Community College Northwest

Media

Newspapers

Gary is served by two major newspapers based outside the city, and by a Gary-based, largely African-American interest paper. These papers provide regional topics, and cover events in Gary.

The Post-Tribune, originally the Gary Post-Tribune, is now based in the nearby town of Merrillville.

The Times, previously known as the Hammond Times. Offices and facilities for The Times are in nearby Munster.

The Gary Crusader, based in Gary and largely focused on African-American interests and readership

The INFO Newspaper, based in Gary and largely focused on African-American interests and readership

The Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times, based in Chicago, are also distributed in Gary.

Television and radio

Gary is served by five local broadcasters plus government access and numerous Chicago area radio and TV stations, and by other nearby stations in Illinois and Indiana.

WPWR-TV (Channel 50) is the Chicago MyNetworkTV affiliate but is licensed to Gary. Studios and transmitters are co-located with WFLD's in Chicago, and are also owned by Fox Television Stations.

WYIN (Channel 56) is a PBS affiliate licensed to Gary. Their studios are in Merrillville.

WGVE (FM 88.7) is owned by the Gary Community School Corporation, and is used primarily as a teaching facility. Programming is maintained by students in the broadcast program at the Gary Career Center. WGVE also carries limited NPR programming.

WLTH (AM 1370) primarily carries talk programming, as well as other local programs.

WWCA (AM 1270) is a Relevant Radio owned-and-operated radio station, carrying programming from the Catholic-oriented Relevant Radio network.

Infrastructure

Medical facilities

Gary Community Health Center

Methodist Hospital

Gary Police Department

Gary is served by the Gary Police Department and the Lake County Sheriff.

According to the ODMP, since 1912 to the present day, 16 officers and 1 K9 of the Gary Police Department have been killed in the line of duty.

Fire department

The Gary Fire Department (GFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Gary.

Transportation

Gary Public Transportation Corporation (GPTC) is a public transit system that offers service to numerous stops throughout the city and neighboring suburbs. GPTC also has express service, such as the Broadway Metro Express to locations outside the city, including connections to Chicago transit. Front-door pickup is available for disabled citizens at no extra cost.

Gary/Chicago International Airport is operating as the "third airport" for the Chicago area. With a runway that was inaugurated in 2015, it previously underwent a federally funded expansion, and the administration has been courting airlines aggressively. The National Guard has based its Chicago area air operation there as well.

Interstate 90 (I-90, Indiana Toll Road), I-80, I-94, and I-65 run through Gary, as well as U.S. Highway 6 (US 6), US 12 and US 20, and State Road 912 (SR 912, Cline Avenue). A former stretch of SR 312 has been decommissioned.

The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) operates the South Shore Line, a commuter rail system between Chicago and South Bend. It is one of the last original operating interurban railway systems in the US.

Notable people

The Jacksons

Gary is the hometown of the Jackson family, a family of musicians who influenced the sound of modern popular music. In 1950, Joe and Katherine Jackson moved from East Chicago, Indiana, 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" (1989). The Jackson children include:

Sister cities

Fuxin, Liaoning, China

Lagos, Nigeria