Driving Around Gary, Indiana in 4k Video

Filmed on Thursday, July 6 2023, I drive around the amazing city of Gary, Indiana to see what's going on. Gary is one of the finest examples in America of urban decay caused by industrial decline.
A once prosperous city based on the U.S. Steel industry and other manufacturing, the city's population has decreased drastically, having lost 61% of its population since 1960.
Gary was named after lawyer Elbert Henry Gary, who was the founding chairman of the United States Steel Corporation. U.S. Steel had established the city in 1906 as a company town to serve its steel mills.
Gary was the site of civil unrest in the steel strike of 1919. 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. Three days later, Indiana governor James P. Goodrich declared martial law. Shortly thereafter, over 4,000 federal troops arrived to restore order.
The jobs offered by the steel industry provided Gary with very rapid growth within the first 26 years of its founding.
According to the 1920 United States Census, 29.7% of Gary's population at the time was classified as foreign-born, with another 30.8% classified as native-born with at least one foreign-born parent.
By the 1930 United States Census, Gary's population exceeded 100,000.
Gary's fortunes have risen and fallen with those of the steel industry. The growth of the steel industry brought prosperity to the community. In the 1960s, like many other American urban centers reliant on one particular industry, Gary entered a spiral of decline.
Gary's decline was brought on by the growing overseas competitiveness in the steel industry, which had 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, and today in 2023, the mill employs 2,256 people.
In May 2021, a $300 million Hard Rock Casino location opened in the city. Branded as Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, the location includes memorabilia from local natives Jackson 5 and a 1,950-seat Hard Rock Live performance hall.
Gary is hometown to the Jackson family, who raised Michael Jackson and his 8 siblings at the two-bedroom house on 2300 Jackson Street in Gary. I drove past this house in a separate video, which you can watch here: • Driving Past Michael J...
As of the census of 2020, there were 69,093 people residing in the city.
The racial makeup of the city was 79.11% Black or African American, 9.23% White, 0.16% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.58% from other races, and 3.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 7.56% of the population.
The median household income was $34,085 and the per capita income was $19,520. 32% of the population was living below the poverty line.
#driving #drivingtour #travel

[@ericthedude9457]

Seems like this was a pretty nice place to live 50 years ago. We are from a mill town that closed up operations and were moved / consolidated to the Gary works plant. People say how nice the town was (Ellwood city, PA) back in the day, and you can see how Gary was probably much nicer! The media sucks (with all their bashing)! Thanks for the video!

[@exploreusacities]

Yes, there is no doubt about that. Back in 1950 it was probably a middle class paradise.

[@guillermomartinez2339]

I'm from Gary and it was at one time the fastest growing city in America...alot wanted to come here for work ...Gary had everything you needed...it was called City of the Century...Magic city...all the empty lots once had houses and business all throughout...

[@guillermomartinez2339]

@@oldgoat50 from 1972 till 2010...still go by there every day...yes its called Steel City but at one time ,in its hey days it was called those 2 other names

[@danielthoman7324]

Don't any of the street lights work? What a piss poor place to live.😅

[@lyndawilliams-teachingscience]

I sang "Gary Indiana" when I read the title!

[@timothymays1418]

This video is limited to maybe 20% at most of Gary. The same neighborhood was circled around a couple of times. It only showed a very small portion of the east and west side of Gary. Yes, Gary has its challenges but let’s give a more accurate and complete picture of Gary. There are some very beautiful parts of Gary with very nice neighborhoods with beautiful homes.

[@exploreusacities]

No problem, I'll go back - let me know which streets to drive on to see the beautiful parts of Gary.

[@timothymays1418]

Miller Beach area (very nice properties) it has luxury AirBnB’s in this area. Yes it’s Gary. W 52nd Ave area west of Broadway. West 21st Ave from Author Street going further west (Many Streets and Avenues with nice neighborhoods and homes) especially around the 23rd Taft to Chase St area Just to name a few

[@guillermomartinez2339]

Morning side in Glen Park as well...beautiful homes...

[@doncooper512]

The next video you make should include commentary by you telling us what street your driving on.. We lived on Pennsylvania street close to the old Sears and Roebuck..i miss the smell of hot cashews in the main lobby..

[@lynwoodme8558]

Dude is a jerk and his purpose was to show the blighted parts of Gary, white folks abandoned.

[@martyaz]

There needs to be another WPA type program to go into these cities and bulldoze the blight.

[@crucify40]

I lived in Gary from 1966 to 1970, just as it was starting to get bad. I wonder if you drove down my old street? 609 Pierce St. I believe the house is long gone. Probably became a crack house before they burned it down. But I remember the block well.

[@HeatherGee510]

I was wondering if you were going to drive through Gary and you did. Thanks for driving by the old Emerson High School @11:35. There was a big fire there in the middle of June but it looks like the building is still standing. Great video.

[@exploreusacities]

Thanks for the compliment! This was my 2nd time in Gary - the first time, my front camera overheated 15 minutes into the video and ruined the whole thing. Gary is so amazing that I had to come back and re-shoot it.

[@HeatherGee510]

@@exploreusacities I'm glad you came back for it. It is a fascinating city.

[@HeatherGee510]

I'm from South Bend so I don´t know anyone from there personally. I just thought it was a neat old building and I looked into it's history a lot.@@oldgoat50

[@beergeek123]

Wrong way on the oneway, lol! Have another beer! 🍻

[@exploreusacities]

There are no laws in Gary, IN

[@happilyretired]

Does the sewer system still work? Does the water system still work?

[@alyssapascual7521]

hi its indiana i was wondering if you can say prayers for me i have a 2003 dodge grand caravan and can only imagine how i can drive it through this state i heard about triple AAA:)

[@exploreusacities]

if you drive a 2003 you need AAA

[@markadams3047]

Not as bad as -30 below in freezing Canada.

[@exploreusacities]

True, in fact I’d rather live in the Gary homeless shelter than to even set foot in Canada 😉

[@cs0779533]

it takes money and effort to keep a place running. this place is half n half.

[@erictorow250]

😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

[@erictorow250]

Gary Indiana would make a great 👍 place for either a state or federal prison . For its current residents of Gary Indiana. And it would provide jobs for the people of Gary Indiana too. And the surrounding communities to for the state of Indiana 😮😮😮

[@metalfreq1]

When the vid starts that lady walking the baby saw your car and looked the other way to hide her face (34 sec in)...very weird

[@exploreusacities]

When people see me coming they assume one of two things, either I'm the Google car or I'm the police. The police should hire me, I can call myself the snitch mobile and then the cops can just write parking tickets and serve warrants based on my videos

[@njfinests]

Home to the greatest entertainer in the world & what did he do for his home town? Shameful!!!

[@erictorow250]

Zombie 🧟‍♂️ apocalypse 101😮looks a lot like the surface of the moon😅😅😮😮

[@davidcox9979]

They had properties to build a prison there it never happened.

[@exploreusacities]

I bet the Supreme Court ruled that sending prisoners to Gary would be cruel and unusual punishment so they had to cancel the prison