That's total murders, however. In a city much larger - Chicago has almost 3 million people to Gary's 69,000. Per 100K, Gary's murder rate is 3 times higher than that of Chicago's.
I had a flat tire on the way out of Chicago just inside of Gary probably 5 yrs ago. A man stopped to help and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be murdered or something else. Instead of the worst, he changed my tire for me and we had a nice chat. I offered to pay him, but he refused.
You should consider yourself lucky. I don't think you realize that death was lurking right around the corner. I live in Chicago and avoid Gary like the plague. At least in Chicago the gang bangers leave civilians alone.
At 32:08 to 32:18 this video shows what used to be a soft drink bottling company named Superior Beverage. My father managed that company for the owner for 30 years. I began working there each summer starting at age 12 and and by the time I was 17 graduated to working summers in the steel mills because my father could not match what the mills paid. I paid for my entire college education working for US Steel during summer vacation. I am now a retired Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon looking back to where it all began and can only remember the loving and hard working people who once built Gary and made it a safe and successful place to live. It breaks my heart to see what has happened here. I could write a fifty page essay about how and why it occurred. I witnessed the whole process. Gary is the best example in the USA of the American dream turned into the American nightmare.
My father who never graduated high school, was functionally illiterate, could barely read a menu or newspaper, was able to move from the rural South to the North and get a job at a unionized auto factory when UAW members were still divided over whether blacks should be union members. Although the UAW had, despite a lot of opposition, began allowing blacks into the UAW about 10 years before my father got the job, the shops were mostly still segregated and there were strikes or protests over integrating the shops. Along with many thousands of whites, my father got that job over resident black men who lived there and, being from the more developed Northern cities with better funding for schools, often had higher educational attainment than the Southern whites migrating to the North for those jobs. My father retired with a pension and health insurance after 38 years. My mother didn't graduate high school either, though her RWA (reading, writing, arithmetic) proficiency was in-line with an average high school graduate. Without that union job, and the racial discrimination that favored him, I am unsure whether my parents would have done nearly as well for themselves.
so if one was not smart enough to go to college to persue a profession, then what??? Whitout these blue collar jobs why do you think many are doing crime instead............
A trucking company I used to work for had a terminal in Gary. I once got lost and made a wrong turn into Gary after dark. I stopped at a stoplight (still working). A cop came along and told me that I shouldn't stop at the lights after dark; the prevailing practice was to just run right through, to avoid getting robbed. Imagine a COP telling you that! 😬
Thank you for the shout-out to Canada! It made my day somehow. Thanks for the interesting video, too. I have never seen a place like Gary before. So sad, but still very interesting. And that old church still has such grandeur, despite everything. Too bad it couldn't be fixed up and repurposed.
I grew up in Gary in the 1950's , early 60's. It was such a great city! I am filled with such fine memories as I see these buildings and streets again. As kids, we were outdoors playing all the time. The parks were nearby with perfect slopes for sledding. Everything was within walking distance and very safe. For one brief shining moment there was a great city there!
My mom grew up there in the 60's and 70's and she says the same things about how it was back then. She said it gives her a twinge of sadness in her heart seeing what it's become
Similar to Detroit. Once it was on it's ascent with thoughts towards a world class city, only to all but fold largely from government mandates during the "Energy Crisis" in 1973. The decline was perhaps slower than Gary, which had to be a grand city in its day, but it's been pretty much the same result.@@AlysiaTribeca
Because in "The Music Man", there is a song called "Gary, Indiana", I always assumed it was a great town. Back when that musical was written (50's, 60's) likely it was as you said.
Must admit that I found this video heartbreaking. The architectural beauty alone that is rotting away is enough to bring a person to tears but seeing all those vacant homes that once housed families full of dreams, joy and laughter, well, there are just no words.
I live in the UK and buildings like this aren't allowed to be destroyed or amended. Anything over a certain age is considered "listed" and therefore must be protected. Is there any kind of law in place in America that helps to maintain historic architecture?
I worked for the local utility company in Gary for 2.5 years, it was such a grounding experience and really put into perspective how little I had to complain about in my life compared to what others deal with everyday.
"For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that whosever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life " and "I came not into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through me" This is the truth that Jesus came into the world to be put fourth as a propitiation/ sacrifice for the sins of the world so that all who trust in him shall not be condemned by their sins but be forgiven and receive by him the eternal inheritance of the rightouness of God obtained by faith in God through Jesus Christ and the inheritance of the kingdom of God, and this is life the true life that persists forever and does not perish but to all those who have not believe they are condemned because they have not believed in the Son Of God Jesus but as the bible says "wothout the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins" so then trust in him and be forgiven and "but to those who did receive him gave he power to become the children of God born not od the will of flesh or blood but of Spirit" become the children of God and receive in yourself the gift of the God which is the seal of promise unto eternal life The Spirit of God who indwells every believer and makes them thw righteousness of God, and the children of God and if children then heirs to the promises of God in Christ Jesus.
As a resident of Indiana, I’ve always had to pass by Gary whenever I went to Chicago. Never been brave enough to actually explore the city. It already looks like a dilapidated ghost town from the outside, but it was kind of crazy to see just how deep it goes. It truly does look post-apocalyptic. Depressing. The church was particularly tragic to see… it must have been so beautiful at one time. Thank you for taking the time to show us.
The last part of the church building you showed looked like what might have been the sanctuary. You are either very brave, somewhat nuts, or heavily armed to have done this video in the first place. Fascinating work though. God keep you.
It's always surprising to me how fast a house can fall apart because it is not occupied. As if the roof was thinking "Well...there's nobody living in here, I give up!".
I've often wandered about this, but I think what's really happening is the windows are being broken and this allows the elements INSIDE where the house is vulnerable. Once mold sets in, it makes quick work of the walls allowing plant life to follow. Additionally, occupants keep the home warm in winter and cool in summer, preventing extremes in temperature from warping the house's foundational wood beams.
It's usually longer than 30 years and also usually because of vandals. Bad ass kids busting out windows allow moisture, plant life, and bugs into the home. It expedites the decay process. The overgrown grass attracts vermin. Termites do the rest.
People move out when the house starts to become unlivable otherwise they would stay or it would be occupied by somebody else. A building just gets to a state where it’s just not worth putting more money in. The electoral wiring needs to be replaced, a major pipe is leaking and needs to be dug out and replaced, the roof has a leak, the basement floods. Finally it’s just time to move on. Within a year the building becomes a teardown.
Lived there as a kid. We moved out to nearby Merrillville when I was very young, but many of our friends and family were still there. My parents tell me it was an awesome city in the late 60's and even early 70's. I moved away and now moved back to a nearby town, and I won't set foot in that city if I can avoid it. Not necessarily because of the crime, but because of the sadness it brings to me to see many of the fun/vibrant places I remember, looking so run down.
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That's what happens when the Rich re-write laws and get away with using cheap slave labor in other countries, so they have no use for american workers.
"For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that whosever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life " and "I came not into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through me" This is the truth that Jesus came into the world to be put fourth as a propitiation/ sacrifice for the sins of the world so that all who trust in him shall not be condemned by their sins but be forgiven and receive by him the eternal inheritance of the rightouness of God obtained by faith in God through Jesus Christ and the inheritance of the kingdom of God, and this is life the true life that persists forever and does not perish but to all those who have not believe they are condemned because they have not believed in the Son Of God Jesus but as the bible says "wothout the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins" so then trust in him and be forgiven and "but to those who did receive him gave he power to become the children of God born not od the will of flesh or blood but of Spirit" become the children of God and receive in yourself the gift of the God which is the seal of promise unto eternal life The Spirit of God who indwells every believer and makes them thw righteousness of God, and the children of God and if children then heirs to the promises of God in Christ Jesus.
I grew up in South Bend, IN. When I was a freshman in high school in 2011 my football team made the playoffs and had to play a team from Gary in Gary. Their school looked like it hadn’t been touched since 1960. We ended up beating them like 49-0. But the kids on the other team were just happy to have something to do. I felt bad for the conditions they had to grow up in though.
So your team is in the playoffs and the team you guys played from Gary was also in the playoffs? That doesn't make much sense were yawl that good or were they that bad?
If its the school i used to deliever to on 45th avenue( Lew Wallace) they closed it down a few years ago, but yeah walking through there was like going through a time machine. Except they had metal detectors.
Your probably too young to remember Marquette elementary school in the bend ,the old one off west Hamilton street . I went there lived on north O’Brien a while
Can believe cities like this still exist in America...I'm from NJ and passing through Camden since I was a kid now in my 40's is still the same. We contribute more to other countries then taking care of our own
Driven through Camden NJ on a greyhound and was saddened to see the conditions 😢 But one lady got on next to me and was very nice 👍🏼 It’s sad when good people have to live in these conditions
I spent the first eleven years of my life in Camden NJ. The day my parents said we would be moving, I was so happy. I have many fond memories of my childhood home but the neighborhood itself was absolute garbage. It hasn't changed much in the 30+ years since we lived there. If anything it's gotten worse.
I’m glad I discovered your channel and this video. I’m also glad you included the Jackson house. Whenever I visited Gary as a kid in the 70’s, I used to return home smelling like petroleum.
Currently a Gary resident. This video focused on downtown and the east side of town where there is majority of the abandoned buildings. There are beautiful homes and communities on either sides of Gary and areas where the abandoned homes and businesses are being tore down. Not condoning casinos but Hard rock casino is in the west side of Gary right off of 80/94 that brought in a lot of business and jobs to the area. The casino is hosting concerts and shows with big names celebrities that I never thought would even be named to be in this area. Gary is slowly being rebuilt but it’s being rebuilt from the outside first then working towards the inner city.
I worked at the casinos there..yes brought in jobs but within 10 years,businesses closed down..casinos rake the money,and if you look where casino boats are at in other states,its the same..people get addicted and loose and businesses close down and crime gos up!! GARY was bad even b4 the casinos..I lived and worked all around there!
Ms. Jordan, can you explain Gary in less than two paragraphs? Where are the "good" areas? Bad areas? Is the north side "white" and the south side "black" like Chicago? I hear many Hispanic families are moving in too. Any advice would be appreciated.
My dad told me Gary was the saddest, bleakest, most necrotized thing he ever saw. He passed through on a road trip from New England all the way to Nevada. He said it couldn't be called a graveyard because graveyards usually have a sense of peace and dignity. Not Gary. Really stuck with him.
Grew up just South & a little West of Gary (Schererville). My mom told me she and my aunt would go shopping in downtown Gary after WW2 (1950s) and it was really nice. By the time I cold drive (1974) no one would ever dare go into Gary, especially after dark. There used to be a big Methodist hospital there. And a commuter campus (Indiana University) with a well regarded nursing program.
The problem with such towns is that they don't demolish the empty buildings. That drags down the value of the rest of the area and you get a downwards spiral. Where I live in Holland they would clean these wrecked houses up and make the place look ok. That makes all the difference.
Banks dont care about making the city look nice. once a private investor is interested in the property, the bank sells it and it's up to the investor if they want to start from scratch or remodel. Tearing down the building and getting rid of the material waste is an unnecessary expenditure for the Bank.
@@geekers8644 You see. You completely missed the point. The value of the land is rock bottom when the whole street is full of wrecked abandoned houses. So the bank looses everything by not cleaning up. Selling a house for 5k dollars is the same as giving it away. This system of is not debatable. They figured this out a century ago and is a well proven system.
@@Dani-it5sy - you're thinking smaller than the banks do. They don't care about selling individual lots - a bank will own blocks of these, and when they DO sell, the people buying them don't care what's there NOW, as they will level, dig and build a completely new structure or set of structures on that land. Why clean up the old structures when they aren't stopping the bank from selling the land as they want to - in large scale blocks? It's sad and it's sick and it robs the city of meaning anything to those who continue to be there, but the banks don't care about that, as they aren't required to.
if they can't clean up garbage like that they sure as hell ain't demolishing and cleaning up an entire house. Best thing people in Gary could do is get out and just let the city die
@@Dani-it5sy The US banking and housing systems operate nothing like Holland. The US government bails out the banks all the time (not just in 2008). The US banks just write the property off, give it back to the city and then the city becomes responsible for tearing the buildings down - with no tax base to raise the funds to do so. So you end up with a city in continual decline and it stays that way for so long that nobody would ever move back even if it was completely torn down and rebuilt. Not to mention these are all usually cookie cutter cities built after WWII with small lots and small houses for low income people working in factories that don't even exist anymore.
I was one of the 10% white people who grew up in Gary. That was a trip down memory lane. Loved hearing the train again. We grew up right next to that railroad track. We were robbed often, the house was shot at once. Today I live abroad as a missionary in a place that is considered dangerous. I have never felt I was in danger, probably because of where I grew up. My family still lives there.
@iatealready But your story is one of thousands where it's not a "race" issue, it's completely a "culture" issue. The culture of idolizing ignorance and criminality is what plagues black America today far more than any other perceived reason.
@@daddybandit4431 Race is a cultural construct. And historically in the US it was used to favour one group over another and as a justification for ruthless exploitation. The race problems we see lingering today in America link back to a dark economic legacy. So, you can say it's a culture issue but that's true mostly in respect to our culture having deep racial inequalities as a matter of state policy. Ultimately though, it all boils down to the wealthy versus the working class. It's just that historically, the bottom of the totem pole in the working class has always been people of colour, since race was chosen early on in America as a class marker. This shaped the destinies of millions for generations to come and we're still living in the cultural blast zone of those exploitative decisions.
@iatealready That's a good take, my grandmother grew up in Gary Indiana in the 1930s when it was predominantly white people before the "white flight" and her family relocated to San Diego, California where my dad was born. After hearing stories about Gary, I'm fortunate my grandma and her family moved to California
I was born in a town in Germany called Georgsmarienhütte. This town was also founded to provide a home for the workers of a new steel mill. In the 1970s there was also a steel crisis in Germany. The steelworks almost perished, as did the entire city. But only almost. A former manager bought the plant for a symbolic price. In fact, one of his first steps was to take out the trash. On Saturdays he helped out himself to set an example. Then he had all the dilapidated parts of the work demolished. The area was sold very cheaply to new companies from other branches of the economy. And he installed a new blast furnace in the remaining area that could fabricate special steels. The steel mill is now making a profit again. The city has been growing again for many years. So it's safe to say, if you need to start over, start by clearing out the trash.
Sadly, many of the folks living in this area will typically always remain in ‘victim’ status and never strive for better. I enjoyed your story though, sounds like an admirable man who saved the German town
@@Deetroiter His name is Jürgen Großmann, he is still alive and is now one of the 100 richest Germans, his fortune is estimated at around 1.35 billion euros. The special thing about him is probably that he grew up in the shadow of another steel mill and simply took on responsibility as a manager. He certainly didn't need to collect rubbish back then, but he didn't just want to make money, no matter how. Rather, it was a personal matter for him. He knew the culture and pride of the steel workers. With actions like this, he freed people from their role as victims and swept them along. Incidentally, this also included the fact that he knocked off rust together with the very simple workers and gave the motto: "Nothing will rust here anymore and no paint will flake off." Fun fact: He bought the Georgsmarienhütte steelworks for EUR 2, which was around USD 2 at the time.
In my many travels, I've driven through Gary several times, and it felt desolate, yet I met a couple ftom Gary at my church and they were surprisingly hopeful and optimistic.
My Uncle gave me the Grand Tour of Gary in his 58 Fairlane. When the Steel plants were operating the sky was a Weird Orange/Yellow, It actually ate the paint off some of the cars. People had money back then you would see Luxury GM cars parked in modest homes. The rest is History, Thanks Lord Spoda.👍👍👍👍👍
@@Maaaattologyyyy Birmingham, Alabama was once known as 'Smoke City' & Tuscaloosa had Paper Planet & was Orange City At Nights. The Paper Plant closed down & the Skies Of Tuscaloosa were Clear again. Birmingham USS closed & Skies became Clear again.
"For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that whosever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life " and "I came not into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through me" This is the truth that Jesus came into the world to be put fourth as a propitiation/ sacrifice for the sins of the world so that all who trust in him shall not be condemned by their sins but be forgiven and receive by him the eternal inheritance of the rightouness of God obtained by faith in God through Jesus Christ and the inheritance of the kingdom of God, and this is life the true life that persists forever and does not perish but to all those who have not believe they are condemned because they have not believed in the Son Of God Jesus but as the bible says "wothout the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins" so then trust in him and be forgiven and "but to those who did receive him gave he power to become the children of God born not od the will of flesh or blood but of Spirit" become the children of God and receive in yourself the gift of the God which is the seal of promise unto eternal life The Spirit of God who indwells every believer and makes them thw righteousness of God, and the children of God and if children then heirs to the promises of God in Christ Jesus.
Years back Gary always stunk and had foul air when driving through it on Indiana Toll Road. It smells much better today, and the air looks a lot cleaner. However, I make sure I don't exit the expressway when driving through Gary. I even try not to take toll road through Gary. About a few years ago, coming from the east, on the Toll Road I missed the 80/94 exit. I drove through Gary and didn't exit until in Hammond. I had no desire to drive through Chicago South Side on the Dan Ryan Expressway.
I’ve driven through Gary 3 times and what you just can’t pick up from the video is how dystopian and surreal it feels. You feel like you’re driving through Chernobyl if squatters moved in. First time I stopped here was for gas and i didn’t even bother filling up. I got just enough gas to get the hell out.
Trippy. As he was walking through The Church ⛪ i had to keep reminding myself: that *I* was safe... *Trippy* some people haven't waited for 'the end' (reference: dystopian)
I messed up on my way back from Wisconsin in my early 20s with an SUV full of my friends and it was low on gas at about 3 AM when I had to pull into Gary to fill up. Most of them were asleep when I went to go in. My girlfriend at the time was in the passenger seat and I woke her up and left the keys and told her to lock the doors when I got out and if anything happened drive away. Scary Gary.
@@TheRealMasonYoung I live in Gary, and i feel okay with walking alone in the dark (call me crazy) but i do pack some kind of protection. Its not the people of Gary i find a problem, It's usually those from Chitown that want to ruin the peace and fun.
@@TheRealMasonYoung I did the same thing when I was younger. The worst part is I had no cash and my cards stopped working because my bank saw transactions from multiple states (drove to Toronto). I was running on fumes and had no money and I was in Gary. I scrounged up some loose change in my truck and filled up with what I had and got out of Dodge.
I lived in Gary for a while in the 80's. I remember people openly carrying guns down our street. I also remember many houses burning completely down on our block. There were hoodlums constantly trespassing in the yard and trying to steal stuff from our storage shed ....so we called the Gary PD. I remember the officers telling me..if you shoot one of them, make sure to drag them into your house so it looks like self defense. I also remember a few nights laying on the floor of the bedroom from the gunfire out in the street. Good times!
100% facts and police say the same thing to this day it's wild here but people comment saying Chicago is better not crime wise I'd say we run a tight 2nd
Thank you for a wonderful trip through Gary, Indiana! I have watched many videos such as this one, but none, yes none, capture the feeling of the city as this one does. I subscribed to your channel and look forward to the more precise descriptions of the towns and cities you provide during your visits as opposed to other channels. I love that you explain as you go through! Others I have watched simply drive through a city or town briefly describing what we are seeing. You have done a wonderful job! Thank You!
Notice how there isn’t any leaves on the trees. And people were bundled up the ones you did see. This had to have been filmed early spring right after the snow. Makes sense there aren’t many people out and about. Go there today on these hot days and Ian willing to bet those areas are filled with unsupervised children running out in front of cars.
@Loneshark luckily most cities don't get anywhere near this bad because they can keep the gangs somewhat under control, this town's police force must've just been slowly overrun over the last few decades so there's nothing to stop the crime
I grew up 2 towns south of Gary, about 20-30 minutes away. Everyone knows to avoid Gary if they can. I used to work construction and helped remodel a few houses there, so many abandoned and run down buildings that need to be completely gutted to nothing and rebuilt. Most aren’t even worth it, better off bulldozing and starting from scratch. But this is an example of how there is still hope for building the town back up, it’s not on a big scale or anything but work is being done. During the day, not too bad in the more populated areas. But at night, can’t even stop at stoplights. Slow to a roll, look left and right then go. Town is eerie after dark. East and south of Gary are all pretty safe and well established towns. The steel mills still provide a lot of jobs and I know multiple people who work or have worked at them. It’s sad that a place like this exists especially being so close to a place I call home. Feels more like the run down parts of Chicago than anything. But then you drive 10 minutes away and everything nothing is like it. It’s also crazy that so many people know about Gary, never knew it was as well known as it it. Almost 4.5 million views!
I feel like Gary is far more known than you think! Here in NW Ohio, most trips out west runs through Gary. Everyone here knows the notoriety of it. I'd love to visit, I'm a hobbyist architecture historian dealing with school buildings in particular and I know the city is riddled with them. Sadly, I don't think I'd have the guts to go.
@@KarsenKeith it looks a desperate place indeed , we have some decay in British towns and cities that in comparison to European countries are pretty bad. The UK is a very unequal country in European terms but I’m afraid we don’t have anything as bad looking as Gary . Our old industrial cities such as Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds , Liverpool, Newcastle etc while desperate under Thatchers rule as she was the key to their swift demise are now at least in central parts and business districts have turned the tide sure there are still some dodgy estates you wouldn’t want to walk around at night . It’s the medium sized towns and smaller towns that have not been redeveloped that are the worst , even our most desperate seems a couple of leagues away from Gary . A pity , sone lovely looking houses or at least they once were .
In the '70s my aunt and many of my family members lived in Chicago and Gary Indiana. The interesting part is that one of my cousins actually grew up in Gary, Indiana when I was just a child and actually knew all of the Jackson 5 kids because they all went to the same school with the Jackson 5's. I remember how nice that town was and then going back 10 years later and how wiped out it appears as Detroit.
I'm 70 now and live about an hour from Gary...I have not been to the city ar anytime...my earliest memory as a child was being able to detect the steel mills when they were working by the metal work odor...we grew up in rural Jasper County and my family farmed corn, soybeans, and wheat at times...Dad had sheep, cattle chickens and started raising pigs at a laterdate... It is such a shame to see that most of the city was in ruins... Thank you for your video and the time you took to make it...be safe on your next journey... Ruth originally from Goodland, IN.
I was born in Gary in the mid 50's. My parents were married in the Methodist Church, and I was stunned to see what has become of it. We lived in Glen Park, then moved to Miller and lived only blocks from the beach. And, yes, my dad worked at the steel mill. My grandfather owned an appliance business on Broadway in the 50's and 60's. It breaks my heart to see what has become of a once lovely little city.
I was born and raised in Gary. Graduated from Roosevelt high school. We lived in Glen park mostly, but we also lived in Marshalltown also. I left in 2002. I know how bad that city was/is. I was scared for this gentleman going in that church. Please be careful going in any abandoned buildings in Gary.
I would drive down the streets of Gary, but I don't think I would walk into the abandoned church by myself. You have the guts to do it which makes for a good video.
To be fair, even driving around can be a bit of an adventure in some cities. I was doing a bit of a tour in Detroit, and then found myself in a not so fancy area. 'You take a right turn down a small residential street, drive for a little bit, all of a sudden you have a group of gentlemen having some sort of town meeting in the middle of the road and they all look as if you came in a bit too late to join them.' That's the moment when you realize that you made a mistake and the right turn you were planning on making probably happened a street too soon. Well luckily there was still room enough to do a 180 so I didn't have to get further lost down the wrong path...
What an interesting video! And thanks for all the info about the steel mill, the church, the Thomas Edison Concrete houses, etc. etc.! My grandpa and grand-uncle worked at the mill probably on 1930's; My grandma grew up there and she moved out around 1970. You make it so real and authentic, like if I was really driving through there! Thanks :)
I ended up driving around in Gary a couple years ago during covid and couldn’t stop myself from driving through the dilapidated residential neighborhoods. Being in real estate I could just imagine how nice these grand homes used to be. You see it all through the South Side of Chicago too. Such amazing history and almost inconceivable to imagine how things became so run down for once thriving communities.
I live in south Philly now, grew up right outside Camden Nj. It’s 100% conceivable why the town failed. Camden used to be beautiful too. Residents move in around the 60s and stopped maintaining properties, the people who lived there before moved, riots happened and they burnt down the city. Huge sections are still burnt out from those riots that happened 60 years ago. No one wants to open a business there because the residents will either rob the place blind or burn it down at some point. Drug dealers on every single corner. Some people refuse to live like civilized humans.
I'm hoping for a manufacturing boom in the US after covid taught us to not rely too much on international trade and supply lines. Plus relations with China not being great. Gary needs blue collar jobs that don't require a degree. I'm sure the city would offer up tax incentives on a silver platter to any potential factory.
@@MakerInMotion there’s not going to be a manufacturing boom in America again because American workers won’t work for the extremely low wages that caused outsourcing to start in the first place.
That's the first thing I thought of when I saw how small M.Jacksons family home is. All those brothers and sisters squeezed into that little home. WoW🙂 As a long haul trucker I see so much urban decline across America. Is very sad to see. I always try and imagine what it was like to live in these places back in the days when they were vibrant. Gary is one of those places I go to a few times a year for truck loads. Is a city that is really hard on the eyes. Always relieved to get in and out of there without incident. Great coverage of this area! Thanks
My first experience of Gary was working in the Steel Mills in 2009 as a Union Ironworker from Detroit. I have been able to see many towns that are run down Flint Detroit and Gary. The mills are still running but with less people working. We are in the American Nightmare.
Real estate has bottomed, cannabis not illegal anymore. DOC & town mgrs will save millions not incarcerating little old ladies & peaceful youth like the old days of fascism. Karma for that once grand church for stigmatizing, demonizing & criminalizing pot smokers & dabbers for decades.
@@davidkemp3154 wake up call , cannabis is still not legal in Indiana. For that matter , it is still illegal federally and have been a lot of federal raids lately on distributers.
Hello Joey, I do not comment often but I really love your videos a lot. They are a great insight of what forgotten America looks like. What you do is a treasure!
My parents were thrilled when they bought a home in Gary in 1968. I was 16. I felt like a rock had been dropped in the pit of my stomach. Even then at my young age, I sensed that it was a city headed in a downward direction. The desolation you see today began many years ago even before the collapse of the steel industry..
@@ent1311 They have passed on. Many homeowners, especially retirees are trapped there. Low property values mean they can not sell and have enough money to buy elsewhere. That is if they can sell at all.
Interesting I was just mentioning in 1968 Gary elected its 1st black mayor. During this time whites didn't want a black mayor so many packed up their business and left. Taking jobs with them. Once the Steel Mills closed that was it.
i was born there in 1961,my mom used to walk AT night to and from work as a telephone operator, my dad worked at US steel...we escaped in late 60's when certain kids teens young adults started hanging out on street corners and yards started to be piled up with junk and litter and houses started to have broken windows and boards over them...we knew it was time to get out.. we moved to hobart right next door, after i was in my teens you could tell when you drove across the border of gary and hobart immediately! like day and night
What causes that. Yes, we all know when a industrial based economy City loses that industrial base, we see what happens. But, why does the violence, destruction enter into it, the crime enter into it? The neglect of homes, the ill respect of classical architecture, it's as if the people remaining hate where they live, hated the town previously, and now almost hate their existence. Is there no employment in other towns, be it employment at a Walmart, supermarket of some type? I see that many are dancing around the questions, and dancing around the answers. But, we've got to start facing these facts. The number one issue is, the industrial based economy is long gone. That concept is over100 years old, and now at the very, very least it is 60 years out of date. It is time to think of of another economy base for the town, and people need to get out of that state of mind, where the only successful business is apparently the liquor store / bar there. That's the only thing open in that entire area, other than to downtown Supermarket the other necessity apparently.
I’m from Chesterton, Indiana. I have taken the South Shore train into Chicago all my life and it goes through Gary. Always interesting to see Gary and how different it is from my hometown only 20 minutes away. I’ve met people who recently had to move out to nearby towns because of the corruption with the government in the city of Gary. Schools closing down, mayors stealing money, and not much there for people anymore. Super sad.
I was born n raised in Gary, Indiana resided there for 29 years. I left in 94 for Mississippi after 6 mos, back in Gary, after 5 months moved to Minnesota in September 94, been here every since. I enjoyed your video, cause at least you showed some decent parts of the city unlike many. Wishing you all the best on your endeavors. 💯👌😊
Thanks for the most interesting and informative tour and it is really shocking that a place like this could exist in the United States it's just not right that we give so much Aid to other countries and ignore our own people and their cities
Thank you for not laughing at this sad city as others do. I can tell that you are a good compassionate human being. What happened to Gary could happen to any town that relies on one employer........... "Each man's death diminishes me, For I am involved in mankind. Therefore, send not to know For whom the bell tolls, It tolls for thee"
"For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that whosever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life " and "I came not into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through me" This is the truth that Jesus came into the world to be put fourth as a propitiation/ sacrifice for the sins of the world so that all who trust in him shall not be condemned by their sins but be forgiven and receive by him the eternal inheritance of the rightouness of God obtained by faith in God through Jesus Christ and the inheritance of the kingdom of God, and this is life the true life that persists forever and does not perish but to all those who have not believe they are condemned because they have not believed in the Son Of God Jesus but as the bible says "wothout the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins" so then trust in him and be forgiven and "but to those who did receive him gave he power to become the children of God born not od the will of flesh or blood but of Spirit" become the children of God and receive in yourself the gift of the God which is the seal of promise unto eternal life The Spirit of God who indwells every believer and makes them thw righteousness of God, and the children of God and if children then heirs to the promises of God in Christ Jesus.
One employer? Surely you are not serious ???? Did you ever walk up and down Broadway in the mid 60's ??? Did you ever look at the amount of tax money that USS paid the city of Gary for over 100 years ?? To blame United States Steel for the decline of Gary,Indiana, is like blameing Oxygen for starting fires !!!!
It breaks my heart and soul to see my hometown like this. The best memories of my life were in Gary, we used to go to Miller beach, Lake Michigan, Lake Etta, the Village mall and had a great childhood. I grew up on 21st and Hendricks, westside tarrytown. Visitng my grandmother next week in Gary. I really appreciate this video showing the good, the bad, and the ugly of my city. Thank you.
"For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that whosever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life " and "I came not into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through me" This is the truth that Jesus came into the world to be put fourth as a propitiation/ sacrifice for the sins of the world so that all who trust in him shall not be condemned by their sins but be forgiven and receive by him the eternal inheritance of the rightouness of God obtained by faith in God through Jesus Christ and the inheritance of the kingdom of God, and this is life the true life that persists forever and does not perish but to all those who have not believe they are condemned because they have not believed in the Son Of God Jesus but as the bible says "wothout the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins" so then trust in him and be forgiven and "but to those who did receive him gave he power to become the children of God born not od the will of flesh or blood but of Spirit" become the children of God and receive in yourself the gift of the God which is the seal of promise unto eternal life The Spirit of God who indwells every believer and makes them thw righteousness of God, and the children of God and if children then heirs to the promises of God in Christ Jesus.
I grew up going to Gary to visit family. They finally left in the 80s because their son got transferred several states away and he and his wife needed help with the children.
I went to Gary to meet my boss' parents in the early 70's. I (from Seattle aged 19) was in shock because of the conditions there. I asked my boss if people just hung out in front of gutted homes and businesses on a Sunday night and he responded saying not just Sunday night but every night. His parents' house from outside looked terrible but the interior was beautiful and modern. P.S., Your video was really interesting. Thanks for sharing.
I was born & lived in Gary until i was 14.m The Mayor of the city was Hatcher. Everyone was basically stealing from the local government. I understand the fact that closing the Steel mill had a major contributing factor of the downfall of Gary. The political corruption was just as bad. I loved my neighborhood growing up. There was so much diversity. My neighborhood was like a small capsule of the world to me. My best friend was Japanese. Her mother would dress in traditional garments. She was so sweet & kind. Knowing that family gave me hope that the world & people can be good. I miss that part of my childhood.
Thank you for going to Gary. I wanted to see just how bad it was, especially in 2023. The state of that beautiful church is so sad. It looked like it was absolutely beautiful when it was first build. When you stated the murders rate and income per family, my jaw dropped. So sad.
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Back in the early 60's we would drive from our home in the Northwest Suburb of Des Plaines, Illinois to Toledo, Ohio to visit our cousins. I remember looking out the car window from the expressway as we were passing Gary. The steel mills were in full operation, and as kids we were fascinated by all the different colors of smoke belching from the steel mill smokestacks in the distance. So sad we lost all that industry.
If you go down some rabbit holes on the internet you will find out why so many small towns and industries were moved from US…..America being killed from the inside out ! So very said to see these once thriving towns looking like ghost towns. This has. LOT to do with the elites running our world ! Wake up people !!!!!
Im sure not quite as sad as the families of the workers who's health deteriorated and eventually succumbed to all the posions they were exposed to in those jobs. catch-22.
I hear ya. My family lived in what was in the 60's a "Leave It To Beaver" neighborhood, Jeffrey Manor on the far south side of Chicago. We traveled back to the Buffalo/Rochester area each summer to visit relatives. We passed by those steel mills running full steam in that 1957-1967 time frame. Got out of the South Side when it was imploding and now is a haven for gangs and shootings. How sad how things can and do change when the wrong element moves in.
I know a girl who grew up in Gary and she said it was really bad. She was constantly bulied for being white, shoes/ backpacks stolen at least once a week if not more and beaten up often. She left in 10th grade with her grandma and moved to florida, leaving her parents behind. Her grandma was a widow of a former steel worker from the 60's and both parents had their own issues....definition of an escape. Very sad...but Im happy to say shes moved and is now happily married with a 2 lovely kids!
I was born next door in Hammond. Nobody on our block was well to do; we were all poor but.....we didn't trash our neighborhoods, we didn't steel, loot, or riot. Our parents did the best they could. Our clothes were patched up but were clean just like we were. There's no excuse to tear up your town because of poverty.
You have no idea what real poverty is or why it’s perpetuated. Educate yourself. Read. Why do you think it’s the fault of poor people that this place is in ruins? Do their landlords not have any responsibilities? What about the owners of the massive abandoned buildings? Someone owns all that property. Landlords purposely buy cheap residences and rent them to people who can’t fight back when the landlords refuse to do even basic upkeep.
My parents grew up in Gary in the 1940s and 50s and we spent a lot of time there. They were married in City Methodist Church and the pictures from their 1963 wedding are stunning.
This blight and decay actually affected me physically, I got a terrible stomach ache. I'm an old man and have lived in many places from one end of the country to the other. It truly saddens me to see both the physical, moral and political demise of the country I grew up in. I have great memories of my travels and life experiences, but glad I am near the end. Rome had nothing on us. Still a Patriot..
I grew up just a few miles from here, I'm still in the area too - my family actually lived on Grant Street in Gary up until I was almost 5. The main reason you aren't seeing homeless people around those abandoned buildings you were exploring, outside of your vehicle, is because that's not a real safe part of town. I mean, there aren't many GREAT spots to be sleeping unprotected outdoors in that town - but that would be a prime spot that someone with ill intentions might start to look for a victim who won't be noticed missing right away. Sad but true.
Are there homeless at all? I would think anyone that can't afford their mortgage would just move into the nicest empty house.. even just squat right where they're at if it's not a nicer area. Can't imagine the banks have a whole lot of leverage there.
U.S. Steel's Gary works once produced more steel than any other mill. My family rented a cottage near Lake Michigan in Gary's Miller Beach section back in 1948, when Gary was an attractive, thriving urban center of 180,000 residents. It's difficult to imagine Gary ever recovering from the downward spiral of deindustrialization.
It can't recover because it did not have the other "infrastructure" that Pittsburgh or Philly had. No big universities. No medical institutions. Nothing to re-attract people.
My mother born in 1926, grew up in Hammond, Indiana. passed away at age 89 in Florida. Used to talk about family in Gary back in the 1940s. Times were often tough around there then. She made good money at age 18 reading blueprints for a munitions plant during WW2. Family and friends stuck together during war time, while brothers and sons went to war. Chicago and Lake Michigan were the places to go for fun. Brutal cold winters and hot summers. Not much money but she spoke of fun times in these places and some good childhood memories, even when only one dress was all she had, butter/apples were a luxury, and was unable to walk for three months from polio at age 18. She got married and moved to miami in the 50s. From then on never stopped talking about missing fun times in these places back then.
you can thank bipartisan policies for allowing overseas manufacturing of so many goods that places like these were unable to compete with slave-wages which led to their subsequent demise. The mass outsourcing of labor and production will be our undoing; all in the name of a better bottom line for corporations.
Yep, that level of large scale industry will likely never recur that way again in the USA. However, there is likely a lot of opportunity for more smaller scale manufacturing in other cities (depending on government incentives). This is partly because of the problematic trade relationship with communist china.
@rugbyguitargod while the bipartisan politicians had a large hand in this, I lived in Bethlehem Pennsylvania, the home of Bethlehem Steel, the greedy union bosses had as much to do with the death as any politician. EVERY SINGLE SHOP that hitched its wagon to the United Steel Workers Union is LONG gone. Steel mills, Food markets, Silk mills, Garment workers, etc.,etc.
For a Dutch citizen , it is hard to imagine the decline and decay, of these once florishing american towns. And yet it is fascinating and almost mesmerizing, to behold this utter desolation. Impressive documentary , guys.
The American willingness to let financial considerations be our sole decision criteria leads to this situation in every one of our states. Along with the abandoned buildings are abandoned people, even some who have moved away.
I live in Ohio. One town realized for years they had been overcharging for city tax for like 10 years. They won’t be sending the money back because they don’t have it to send. 😂
I've been going to Gary a lot lately this year. From the 90's til now, I've watched a decline. It was crazy how I drove down the streets and the traffic lights don't work, as if they didn't pay the light bill. The many homes I lived in are now, appears to be abandoned. The four that I remember. Tried to show my girl where I grew up, it was embarrassing, because it wasn't like that in the 90s. A couples cities over, and you'll see a world of difference.
It's devastating to see what most of Gary looks like today versus what it once was. A lot of people who are still there do take pride in their city and I feel like it will rise again out of the ashes. I lived in Hobart a city that touches both Gary and Merrillville where you stayed and it is night and day drastically a different place. Good schools low crime rates jobs etc. People from neighboring cities take their trash and dump it in Gary because nobody stops them 😢 and they don't want to pay a dump fee. So the trash is not just from the residents. I wish we could get some sort of initiative to put people to work cleaning up the city and rebuilding and rehabbing the homes and structures worth saving and demolish the ones that need to go. You should also look at the homes in Miller Beach and show Marquette Beach on lake Michigan,they are both in Gary Indiana. ❤️🤍💙
Thats what happens when you build a whole town that relies on one industry. I'm a colorado native and my state was first populated during the gold rush. Colorado didnt end up being one of the best places for gold but they diversified with farmland on the east and mining other minerals on the west. More recently, when colorado legalized marijuana, there was another influx of people. The state parks are well-maintained, there are many universities, taxes are relatively low etc. All these things make a place attractive to live at and keep the money flowing unlike Gary.
I love it that you went right up to the gates of U.S. Steel Gary Works. As an engineering consultant, I've been through those Gates a few times many moons ago.
I work at us steel. I've never once had a problem in Gary on my way to work or coming home. My parents grew up in Gary though and it's crazy how it went from being one of the nicest cities in the country to being run down with abandoned and broken homes,drugs,murders etc. It's hard to imagine it in my head.
That's true..in the 40s@ 50s it was very nice town. 60s it changed and end of the 70s went bad. Around the hospital had beautiful homes..it is sad that the people that moved in ruined that town..
A few years back, my friend's daughter went to Gary with her friend to hang out with this guy. He wouldn't release them, took her truck, and her friend returned a few days later by herself. My friend's daughter was missing for a year until they found her remains. He was later arrested and charged with her demise. Her name was Jessica Flores. 😢
What they really need to do is level three quarters of Gary and rebuild factories and homes but nobody wants to invest in an area that's controlled by thugs and violent criminals.
Great episode! I am a Chicago boy, born and raised and still here. My early memories of Gary would have been driving through as a family on our way out of town. Gary would be about the spot where dad said "lock your doors." After college I joined the Marine Corp, and as a 2nd Lt Platoon Commander during the invasion of Panama, I became interested in Edison upon learning that he'd supplied much of the concrete used to build the canal (seems you don't get rich off quirky inventions) sold to the U.S Govt. So it was in a war zone where I read a book on the life of Thomas Edison. I'd somehow forgotten that Gary was one of the cities that tried out his concrete homes. For what it's worth, all concrete is, unlike us Americans, not created equal. Edison was a stickler for absolute quality, and that is why those homes stand today as they do, cool in the summer and warm in the winter, with very little crumbling or foundational issues. More importantly, the Army Corp of Engineers and Congress bet on the right guy in Thomas E, because the Canal concrete has held like a champ. During the same period of time you will find that nearly all Chinese and Soviet major dam sites have had to be completely refortified. Love your channel. Ps: I felt safer sniper hunting, door to door, in 1983 Beirut than I would have felt going into that church with you. I hope you're armed.
I don't think the church and urban exploration is that dangerous, there in different levels of danger, how you carry yourself, what you're driving (chargers and challengers, trackhawks can draw attention) also weather (whos out and about). I think it's more dangerous of someone knows or is aware of you, (gang or rivalism). Of course living in Indiana we stay well armed.
The Palace Theater was designed by architect John Eberson and built in 1925 in Gary, Indiana's Emerson neighborhood. It seated an audience of 3000 and featured live stage shows, vaudeville acts, and motion pictures. John Eberson was famous for creating atmospheric theaters, which became popular in the 1920s. Atmospheric theaters were designed to resemble European courtyards or gardens and to make the audience feel like they were immersed in the scene rather than observing it from afar. The curved ceiling of the movie palace was painted the dark blue of an evening sky and projectors cast wispy clouds onto it.
I've lived down the road from Gary my whole life. Worked at USS for 5 years... Looks like you stayed mostly to the main drags (during the day). You're pretty safe in the populated urban zones in daylight hours, and the area by the baseball stadium is mostly fine. If you go south more than a few blocks from the expressway into the neighborhoods it gets substantially more dangerous. Substantially. Cops will pull "normal" drivers over in these areas because they assume you're buying drugs or guns. If you're not doing illegal stuff they'll tell you to leave. If you go a little northeast you'll run into Miller Beach which still has beautiful homes and trendy businesses. Frank Lloyd Wright has a couple beautiful homes up on the lake shore. Gary isn't a war zone but if you find yourself in the wrong area at the wrong time you're going to be in a world of trouble.
I was born in East Chicago, Indiana in 1942 and raised by my father in Gary in a little neighbourhood called Clark Station which was in NW Gary off the industrial highway. I went to Gary Edison High School and graduated in 1960. Gary was a fantastic place to live. We used to go to see the movies at the Palace theatre on Broadway and the State theatre on State Street. I met my beloved wife of 56 years ( she passed away in 2019) at Edison and we got married at the Brunswick Presbyterian Church in 1963. After attending Florida State University., I returned to Indiana and taught science at Merillville High School. Alas, I saw the writing on the wall vis-a-vis trouble brewing in the area and left the USA to settle in Australia. Never before was I so saddened as I was when I saw the terrible conditions that exist now in the town of my youth. I'll always be a Hoosier, but with an Australian mysti que. I put the blame where it should be squarely on the political mess that existed in NW Indiana and the money grubbers who offshoredy all the good jobs and industry to cheaper foreign countries.
I would venture a guess that you could not have expected 5.3M views in such a short time let alone over 14,000 comments?!?! Thank you for showing compassion during the filming of this eye-opening tour of Gary.
Thank you. You drove past my old house which was somewhat in fair condition and occupied. I lived there in the 70's and though the city was in decline, it was safe and there was much life in the city. Over 20 schools were closed down in Gary and the architecture is fabulous. Worth coming back for but as always be safe. I decided not to come back to Gary after I retired from the military and now reside in South Carolina.
That’s a fascinating story on your part. May I ask, what has happened to your house now? I take it that the other homes are still having property taxes taken care of since somebody still owns them.
I feel strongly moved to thank you for this beautiful and powerful view of a place in time. The sadness of the decay and neglect is somehow balanced by a hope for the future. All of these structures were built with such good intentions, people dreaming of a better world and community, and yet not built sustainably, not maintained. What you have recorded and preserved tells me that we can do better. Ruins have always given me hope.
I lived in Gary Indiana 25 years. Back in 2014 I moved to Hammond Indiana. Gary has good neighborhoods and bad like any other cities. I am currently 72 years old and white and most times feel safe walking and shopping in Gary in the daytime mostly. My basic rule is spend as much of your income where you live. If you can’t purchase what you need go to a neighboring city. KEEP YOUR MONEY AS CLOSE TO HOME AS POSSIBLE. If everyone did this all of our cities would be thriving.
Are you kidding? Gary looks like Tijuana. It’s by far the worst city I’ve ever been in and doesn’t seem to be getting much better. It’s hard to believe Gary is in the US.
I was born and raised in Gary back in the 50's - the late 60's. The memories of my grandparents, our family, the beautiful city. We'd sit with my mother everyday outside the city hall waiting for my Dad to come home on the South shore line. We'd picnic in Miller Beach. On Holidays there were parades down Broadway. The church you showed...idk if it used to be The First Presbyterian Church of Gary which was just as big. It's so sad to see it as it is now. We lived at 444 Monroe St. Lush green lawns and trees. I wish you drove down Monroe St. There was a section where all the streets were Presidents names. When we finally left the beautiful huge home we had and all the others down our street sold for $1.00. How i miss the old days! 😢
@@aSome1 lol, actually no. I'm the one who has to boast to everyone that i was born a couple streets away from the Jackson family. And we were even all born in the same hospital... Gary Methodist Hospital. Truth be told Joe Jackson accidentally took me home and my Dad Joe Jacob accidentally took Michael home. Then after The Jackson's realized i couldn't sing he returned me to the hospital and complained. They finally sorted it all out 😄! Lol... But seriously we were all born at Gary Methodist!
That Methodist church made me think of what the great Catholic monasteries of England must have been like in the decades after their Dissolution by Henry VIII in the sixteenth century.
As a truck driver I appreciate being able to see lots of America. And Gary, IN was definitely one of those places. I was quickly in and out only because that’s how I am for most places I go to.
I’ve lived in Gary for almost two years now, and the thing about Gary is that there are very dangerous places and relatively safe places. The thing I love about Gary is the people. I’ve lived all over Indiana and never have I had such nice neighbors. The thing I hate about Gary is people’s lack of interest in change in the city. Although Gary has made progress in the past five years it is no where were it used to be. Because Gary has a bad stigma most developers pass by the city. Crime may be high in Gary but Gary also has one of the best hospitals in the area, and one of the best Police Departments(at least from what I’ve seen). Gary has the potential to be great, if only people would care to help.
@@lillysbookcase9682 That's what first came to my mind when he said he saw no homeless people, "isn't it obvious? with that much abandoned property if someone's homeless they're likely to pick a home that nobody cares about", there seems to be a bunch of those. Also, it's nice that someone who lives there chimes in to talk about the human aspect behind the numbers and the pictures.
Very good point, highlighted by the piles of trash that were passed by. While this is so true, what motivation(s) are the local government performing to help get people involved and care again? It's been over a decade since I worked with the local officials there, I pray most our gone and your once great city can heal once again.
The crime and murder rate etc doesn't really reflect the reality that well. We're not talking about "common" people getting murdered on the streets for the sake of it like the movie purge.
This format gives me so much more than all the other shiny infosites or tourist tales about the USA. It shows the backyard, the other side of the real life in the USA. Thanks mate, even to your wife, from Germany for these impressions.
@@Fighton31 Seems to be a common occurence all across the country there. Names of the cities will change in such videos, yet the footage will virtually stay the same - the story of dilapidation and decay.
Take it from one who knows: Gary was a very diverse city when the mills were in full production, while it was making steel. People were coming to Gary from all over the country to work in the mills. The mills also had a robust support industry grown around them. Some of it supported the mills, and most of it supported the population. Production ramped way up in the late 60's when the US entered the Vietnam War. Defense contracts paved the way. Labor didn't get wealthy, but investors did. Costs of goods and services always just matched wages. Got a 10 cent raise, bread would go up 12 cents immediately, same day. When the Vietnam War petered out, the industries (there were many) started laying off. Production was cut in half or more, and people had to move out. The support industries buttoned up their operations, and moved as well. That cut taxes. That cut government, and the remaining people had to figure how to survive on what was left standing. But there were no jobs for them, and importantly, for their children. Essentially, the economy of the area collapsed. The lesson to learn is how important manufacturing is to an economy. It is a driver from start to finish. If you make cars you drive a car. If you don't you ride the bus. The difference between wealthy investors and labor is that the investors can pull their investments, and they are still wealthy. Can labor sell their homes? Nope. No buyers. Labor has to migrate. Basically, leave everything they've work for, and start over with whatever is left of their earnings. That's the story of Gary from an economic viewpoint. It also highlights what happens when wealthy investors take their operations off shore. Local economies tank. There has to be a better way than having to rely on them. Profit sharing comes to mind. Anyway, have a great holiday season ya'll.
Lord Spoda, I have to commend you for having the balls to get off the Indiana Toll Road in Gary and actually exploring the city. Thank you for your service.
got balls, indeed. grew up in Highland, In. went to IUN right off Broadway. worked at US steel in summers. all I kept thinking is "I hope this guy's packing"
This is a great video, I am from Canada, and I take motorcycle trips to the US and go deep into the bowels of the cites of America taking photos of abandoned churches, abandoned gas stations and unkept graveyards, I know it kind of odd thing to do but it has become a passion of mine. I have of yet to go to this city Gary , Indiana but it will be on my list. America is an absolutely beautiful country with endless beauty and diversity and then are places that look like third world countries. I have recently travelled to Detroit and I have to say it was quite an experience. I rode my motorcycle into the surrounding areas of the downtown core and saw some awesome period deco architecture and then ventured out into outlining areas and I could not help notice the once splendid and magnificent homes now lay in complete ruin. Not a single thing of value was left, not even the metal doors hinges remained. The entire neighborhood were abandoned except for single isolated gas station and not far from there a group of kids hanging around watching a small fire set in one of the dilapidated homes, the only sound of life was the sound of fire trucks, it was a very eerie sight indeed. thank you for posting and giving this great narrated tour
I grew up and have lived in Southern California and recently have been on a trip across the country and I absolutely LOVE all this dead and abandoned stuff. Southern california doesn't have much history or decay. Mostly skyrocketing housing prices. That might change, but it's not very romantic. I love seeing all the history and imagining how it was. It's a beautiful sad painting, run down houses in a field in the mist, old abandoned barns, dying towns...
They shifted manufacturing to tech and service jobs and consolidated wealth on the coasts. Most of these violent run down mid western cities were the heart of the USA for a very long time. I say this as a white guy we say it effected us the most but sometimes I wonder if loss of manufacturing was about race. All those great migration cities lost all the decent jobs and all those cities had large black populations and still do. Obviously money and globalization was a factor but sometimes I think it also involved cutting off your nose to spite your face. I would have loved to see Detroit Cleveland st Louis when they were equal to new York or la
15:05 if the worshippers of that church - back in the better times of the city - could see this footage of the future of their church they would probably think atomic war or some end times had come. Sad stuff this. It's a crazy world.
I'm from Sweden and I think it's depressing to see a city just fall apart like that. In Sweden it's mostly small villages that you can say looks the same.
"follow the money" - instead of re-investing in the business, the money gets sucked up by the owners and deposited in off-shore bank accounts where it sits to finance their lavish lifestyles elsewhere. residents will have less money to spend, the tax burden for maintaining the infrastucture will be deemed too high and cutbacks will accelerate the downfall of the community
I was born and raised in Gary we moved out in 1972. It's very sad that it's this way. The really nice area is around the Methodist Hospital and former St Marys' Hospital aka police station between 6th and Grant St and 7th and Tyler. Those homes which I believe you showed for a little bit were the doctors homes with maids quarters as well. Thank you for doing this, I love to see how they have progressed or not. I would imagine they need to take down all those abandoned homes and start over. I don't think that will ever happen. Be safe!
I just happened to catch your vlog....I was raised in Gary. Gary, like so many other towns that lost it's original purpose..in Gary's case it's steel..but Gary is a victim of at least one success...a great school system but little job opportunity. Every one of those buildings that you drove past had a story for me...Sears, Goldblatts, Woolworth, the Palace Theater. My parents, born and raised in Chicago, moved to Gary in 1955...from Chicago...where as WWII Vet"s, both were WWII...my parent"s could not use their veterans benefits to purchase a house in Chicago! By the way...we are Black! So, we moved to a brand new black working class neighborhood in Gary filled with steel mill workers, there were 2 passenger train conductors on our block..CTA and IC, postal workers, RR Donally next door, We even had doctors who lived in the neighborhood and made house calls! Our neighborhood was built by a black contractor. Most of my neighbors were also black, many were veterans who also had moved from Chicago and like my dad...yes I had a dad as with practically every household in my neighborhood...the folklore being that black famlies don't have fathers...we weren't raised in a fatherless environment. After I finished high school I also worked in Chicago. Gary is a product of it's own success. As a product of the Gary school system...which was one of the best in the 50's through the 60's...the height of the civil rights movement which I had been a part of during the 60's and the 70's, my black neighborhood produced many of the top graduates in our high school...based on SAT scores.. during the 60's the state of Indiana decided to "integrate" the high school system and worked hard to inspire all of us to get a higher education. Not only was it the era of the Civil Rights movement but the beginning of the Vietnam war. And many after graduating from collage relocated to where they could take advantage of that education they obtained. Gary, being a steel mill town, offered few opportunities for those who successfully finished their higher education..there were a family of Harvard graduates down the street, Columbia University in N Y scholarship across the street, IU scholarships in my family, classmates who went to Purdue, to Lincoln in Mo.,Ball State, and so many other collages and relocated where they went to collage. Or some like me, got a great job that became a career and went to collage in my spare time. In your vlog you drove north down Broadway passed 5th Ave, but somehow you missed the massive campus of Indiana University NW which is on 35th and Broadway where in one of my Labor Study classes I learned that Gary is no different than Pittsburgh and any other steel mill town where steel production was moved over seas. Or no different from coal mining towns, like in Appalachia, where coal mines are shut down, but many of those people have actually remained in those states, and in poverty. But somehow, usually only Gary gets the notoriety! In addition...Chicago is less than 20 minutes down the expressway. When a number of their projects were closed down, former residents were given vouchers to move to Gary. I can go on and on about the political issues that initially began Gary's decline starting way back when I was a youth member in NAACP in Gary when Richard Gordon Hatcher ran to become the first black mayor in a metropolitan city...he won, became the mayor, and funding for anything pertaining to Gary soon became the political object! But we were blessed to still have had access to a great education, even our children from subsequent generations who graduated from the same schools we went to are doing great and representing all over the country! We also are proud products of a great neighborhood where everyone looked out for one another and our parents knew our neighbors 3 and 4 blocks away! Very few can say that today! But in America you go where that great job and financial security leades you! However, like so often all over this Nation many get stuck in those traps created to divide us. We are not at all ashamed of Gary, we/I come back home all the time and we hope and believe one day our city will recover! Noone can really tell the truth about Gary if you ignore or don't know its history!
If you had a chance to repopulate that city with immigrants and homeless people from the west coast, would you do it? It would mean jobs for the current residents.
@@davidtrotman5990 I don't understand how you deduce that bringing homeless people and immigrants to Gary would "provide jobs"? The issues of homelessness and immigration won't be solved by dumping people into any city...and by the way, I love to remind people that unless you are Native or a decendant of slavery (I am) this Native land is a nation of immigrants where people came..running from all the isims in their original Nations to seek a better life! Like Chicago there are plenty of local homeless people and those in poverty in Gary so without federal funding or jobs...Gary isn't a dump site and there are plenty established neighborhoods in Gary where people are not in poverty. Gary just needs restoration. Just like my parents moved into a brand-new neighborhood in the 50's new neighborhoods can be rebuilt. I've seen Chicago tear down old neighborhoods and build new homes and it can happen in Gary!
I don’t agree with David’s insinuations but wouldn’t it be great if we could successfully and WITH ASSISTANCE help relocate homeless people and immigrants seeking sanctuary and give them the opportunity to fix this mess up. I know there’s myriad reasons for homelessness and I typically shy away from sweeping generalizations but specifically every immigrant I’ve ever known from Mexico and South America were the hardest working and most dedicated people I’ve ever had the privilege to work alongside of. It’s disgraceful that certain politicians (namely Abbott and DeSantis) are literally trafficking desperate human beings for a political stunt. Give people something of their own. That they can be proud of. Don’t like it? Better get used to it because as the rich become richer and the poor become slaves the rest of us are going to be refugees from either climate or food instability. Not to mention the RW gun nuts who will murder anyone for seemingly any reason or actually lack of a reason.
I agree with your comment about how hard-working many of the people are that politicians love to malign, but then you say “Give people something of their own,” and you lose me. Are you offering to “Give them” some of your property and money? How’s about you “give them” some of your children’s or families homes or land? When you GIVE someone something is it truly “their own?”Then you go on some sort of rant about “RW gun nuts.” I’m former military and I own guns. My son and daughter both own firearms and we enjoy going to the outdoor range to shoot. I suppose WE are the problem? All of us are college educated, my daughter is a vegetarian but I grew up hunting and eating what I killed. I’m sure if you take our guns away, the murder rate in Chicago will drop dramatically. 🤔. You need to think things through on a little deeper level-in my opinion. I’m a “nut” though so my opinion isn’t really valid anyway. ❤️🫡
One thing that troubles me is this: My ggg-grandfather worked in the lumber industry in SE Wisconsin. There were acres and acres of these massive trees. The lumber companies just went through clear cutting the huge centuries old trees, and then sold the land cheap to immigrant farmers. That lumber went to build so many of these homes from the first half of the 20th century. The massive trees have been cut to build these houses, and now the trees are gone, and so are the houses.
I was born in Gary in 1958 and lived there until we moved to Merrillville in 1967. I can remember when the downtown was packed with shoppers and the stores were all vibrant. US Steel had 25,000+ employees in the 1970s; I think there are just a few thousand now. It was a great city at one time. There’s a section of the citY that you did not film, Glen Park, that’s where I grew up. I drove through that section several years ago when we came back to visit relatives in Indiana. Glen Park was also looking pretty rough. When the steel mills died so did the city.
@@ncvman Pretty sure most of the steel manufacturing went overseas to China etc... Much cheaper to buy from them then from American steel. Which is true for everything. Companies in America have to pay their workers a higher wage then the rest thus making the product they are making more expensive so the owners can make a profit. It's sad but a massive amount of jobs have gone overseas so Americans can buy products at a cheaper price and more "importantly" the owners of said companies can get filthy rich
Thank you for making this video. I was born in Gary because it was the nearest hospital to Hobart where I grew up. My parents would talk about the beautiful city that Gary had been in their generation we had gone to the theater when we were children and it was absolutely beautiful! Also just out of the town there was a race car track named Broadway Speedway. It would have been nice for you to go there. But thank you for showing us what a beautiful town can end up looking like when it is abandoned.
I grew up in a similar place. My career was mostly overseas and I saw a LOT of places like this but the homes were still lived in by the extremely poor. I have no words for those experiences.
I, too, was born in Gary 67 years ago and grew up in Crown Point. As a child, I remember taking the bus downtown and shopping in a bustling city. Imagine all of those homes in the video filled with families, kids playing in the neighborhoods. While the steel industry was Gary's backbone, there was lots of other businesses and industries to support a vibrant community. The story of Gary and it's demise is documented in many places. Can it be saved? Whoa, it would be very difficult. Where does one come up with money to demolish all the decay? How do you attract industry and other money input? Fascinating video. Modern ruins similar to other areas across our nation.
Grew up in Merrillville but played ball at Junedale L.L. in Glen Park. So sad. Later did lots of work in Gary. Great people, and now I won't consider it.
You mention there were lots or other businesses and industry, which reminds me of the coal industry in WV being crushed. Coal money fed the supermarkets, gas stations, and other businesses. When Democrats, like Hillary, killed the coal industry it choked all those other local businesses. It appears steel to Gary was like coal to WV. Ironically Coal was an essential fuel needed for refining steel, so there's two industries destroyed by our government.
Stop all the foreign aid and rebuild America. Be hard-core on criminals. Support jobs, workers, business and families as a whole. Have a flat 10 percent tax. That's a start. Imo
Look up the story of Fishtown, Pennsylvania. Was starting to get rough, never to Gary's level, but now it's a gentrified, completely safe downtown neighborhood. That could happen in Gary, and probably will, because they're going to need more housing and it's cheaper to develop out than up when you can.
I was a trucker for 5 years and have delivered there many times i never encountered anything out of the ordinary. I love chicago very much and i absolutely love the midwest . Good luck on your travels and stay safe out there.
"For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that whosever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life " and "I came not into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through me" This is the truth that Jesus came into the world to be put fourth as a propitiation/ sacrifice for the sins of the world so that all who trust in him shall not be condemned by their sins but be forgiven and receive by him the eternal inheritance of the rightouness of God obtained by faith in God through Jesus Christ and the inheritance of the kingdom of God, and this is life the true life that persists forever and does not perish but to all those who have not believe they are condemned because they have not believed in the Son Of God Jesus but as the bible says "wothout the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins" so then trust in him and be forgiven and "but to those who did receive him gave he power to become the children of God born not od the will of flesh or blood but of Spirit" become the children of God and receive in yourself the gift of the God which is the seal of promise unto eternal life The Spirit of God who indwells every believer and makes them thw righteousness of God, and the children of God and if children then heirs to the promises of God in Christ Jesus.
It's fascinating, just watching this is surreal. It feels like nostalgia, and I can almost smell the air ripe with broken dreams and lost souls. What a quintessential American tragedy of a town. The rise, fall, and the result.
Truly heartbreaking. I was born in Gary and my father worked in the steel mill. He passed in ‘84 from asbestos poisoning due to working there and in ‘85 we moved to Detroit. As a teen, I would go back to visit friends and family and prior to 2019 my last visit was about 20 years ago. Just seems like a ghost town compared to when I lived there 😢😢
I live in a close suburb of Gary and have enjoyed watching this because I am afraid to go there. I have read the history and am sad that such a great town has so deteriorated. A few years back I went to help feed the poor a Thanksgiving meal there with some friends. I was in awe of the church and am so glad to see it up close like this. There was once a Frank LLoyd Wright home they were going to try to save but someone burned it down, I don't understand why the state let this happen to this town.
It's not the state, it's our version of capitalism in which there is no money for the society. There's only money for the companies and their shareholders. Please vote for progressives so we can change priority to the people? 😀👍
I grew up in Gary during the 1960s when the city was thriving. There were beautiful homes and neighborhoods throughout the city. Mayor Hatcher was the first elected Black mayor in the US. There were steel mills throughout the city, and people were making great money. During that time frame, the City of Gary streets were kept clean, and Mayor Hatcher did a great job of keeping the city and its facilities running well. There were a lot of street gangs mostly made up of kids/teenagers that lived in the same area. The downtown area always stayed busy with shoppers and vehicle traffic. Every year around October, when the major automotive manufacters released their new models of cars and trucks, residents of Gary would be the first to buy them. The winters were severe, but the heavy snowfalls made Gary look like a winter wonderland at times. Throughout the city, most kids played a lot of basketball and baseball. I played both, but I excelled in baseball playing first base and was a switch hitter. My favorite team was the Chicago Cubs, and the players I admired were Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, and Ron Santos. There were baseball little league teams throughout Gary, and many people believed I had an opportunity to make it to the pros. I eventually moved to Birmingham to help my grandmother around the house, and there was no baseball program at the school I attended. But to look at Gary now thorough the lens of this podcast is truly heartbreaking. At one point the City of Chicago was trying to buy Gary airport and turned it into a third reliever airport for the city. That move would have completely rebuilt Gary with new residents and businesses to support the new airport. I have not visited Gary in over 14 years, so I don't know what happened to that deal. Thank you for the podcast because it really brought back some good memories.
The airport deal with Chicago fell through but a local group got federal money to lengthen the runway and relocate a rail line. The RUclips video didn't really go into businesses moving there from Illinois to the area around the airport or the east side around the I-65/90/94 interchanges. Gary has a stigma that is hard to shed.
@John Lazar I wondering about public transport in Gary. Is there a train station or buses or coaches? I just wondered what people do if they don't drive a car. Where is the closest airport? I read that Hard Rock Cafe has opened there. The video didn't talk about schools, doctors and health care and hospitals things like that or parks and public swimming pools or things like that. From what I understand the Steal Mills closed so the main industry is no more.
@@AndreaElizabeth100 the steel mills are still there, but people live 20 minutes away or more and drive in. The South Shore commuter railroad has 3 stations and is being improved. There's also a bus system that nobody seems to use. It's really a weird ghost town that needs a lot of vacant property cleared out, but the video really didn't show some of the new investment and businesses in the area. It's very easy to be negative about Gary.
I was raised in Gary. This is heartbreaking, but I'm not surprised. It was such a beautiful and thriving city, until 1968. I thank God my parents had the foresight to sell our home and their businesses and move us out to AZ in '68. Did you happen to see any schools, parks or restaurants open on your tour?
Most, if not all gary schools got shut down. Most small family own restaurants stayed in business and are widely considered to be the best in Chicagoland.
Ironic, I was born and raised in AZ and am now looking for options to move back east because its become to expensive too live here and there are too many people with too high a crime rate. Plus its too hot.
@@sergeantseven4240 Haha, I get it. AZ is much, much different than when we moved there in '68. In fact, I no longer live there. I just know Gary and Chicago are NOT the place to start over.
Chicago is worse then Gary. Chicago in 2021 there were 834 murders.
That's total murders, however. In a city much larger - Chicago has almost 3 million people to Gary's 69,000. Per 100K, Gary's murder rate is 3 times higher than that of Chicago's.
@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip I give you all the credit for walking through the church
Wow!! That Church was huge and I bet beautiful once upon a time !😬I won’t be visiting Gary any time soon. Thanks for sharing!😳
One of Geography King's videos pointed out that Gary actually had more murders in total in 2019 than did San Diego that year - a city 20 times larger
Democrats/communists at work and look at the thing that was installed as mayor, same thing as what was installed as mayor in DC
I had a flat tire on the way out of Chicago just inside of Gary probably 5 yrs ago. A man stopped to help and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be murdered or something else. Instead of the worst, he changed my tire for me and we had a nice chat. I offered to pay him, but he refused.
Well you're one of the lucky ones that made it out alive. Consider yourself lucky.
You should consider yourself lucky. I don't think you realize that death was lurking right around the corner. I live in Chicago and avoid Gary like the plague. At least in Chicago the gang bangers leave civilians alone.
I'm glad to hear of a positive reply by you. At the point of my comment to you there were 45 positives responsive to you. Thanks
That is cool. There still are good people out there
The common thread thru all these top 10 lists is the B pop
At 32:08 to 32:18 this video shows what used to be a soft drink bottling company named Superior Beverage. My father managed that company for the owner for 30 years. I began working there each summer starting at age 12 and and by the time I was 17 graduated to working summers in the steel mills because my father could not match what the mills paid. I paid for my entire college education working for US Steel during summer vacation. I am now a retired Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon looking back to where it all began and can only remember the loving and hard working people who once built Gary and made it a safe and successful place to live. It breaks my heart to see what has happened here. I could write a fifty page essay about how and why it occurred. I witnessed the whole process. Gary is the best example in the USA of the American dream turned into the American nightmare.
Great comment. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
My father who never graduated high school, was functionally illiterate, could barely read a menu or newspaper, was able to move from the rural South to the North and get a job at a unionized auto factory when UAW members were still divided over whether blacks should be union members. Although the UAW had, despite a lot of opposition, began allowing blacks into the UAW about 10 years before my father got the job, the shops were mostly still segregated and there were strikes or protests over integrating the shops. Along with many thousands of whites, my father got that job over resident black men who lived there and, being from the more developed Northern cities with better funding for schools, often had higher educational attainment than the Southern whites migrating to the North for those jobs. My father retired with a pension and health insurance after 38 years. My mother didn't graduate high school either, though her RWA (reading, writing, arithmetic) proficiency was in-line with an average high school graduate. Without that union job, and the racial discrimination that favored him, I am unsure whether my parents would have done nearly as well for themselves.
so if one was not smart enough to go to college to persue a profession, then what??? Whitout these blue collar jobs why do you think many are doing crime instead............
Flint. - hold my beer
I wish you would write the story down - I'd read it. I'm curious.
A trucking company I used to work for had a terminal in Gary. I once got lost and made a wrong turn into Gary after dark. I stopped at a stoplight (still working). A cop came along and told me that I shouldn't stop at the lights after dark; the prevailing practice was to just run right through, to avoid getting robbed. Imagine a COP telling you that! 😬
Wow!
😮 thanks for that info!
You literally stole that story and applied it to this situation. Come on now
That's scary😮
The company I drive for won't allow us to park or sleep overnight in Memphis 😂
Thank you for the shout-out to Canada! It made my day somehow. Thanks for the interesting video, too. I have never seen a place like Gary before. So sad, but still very interesting. And that old church still has such grandeur, despite everything. Too bad it couldn't be fixed up and repurposed.
I grew up in Gary in the 1950's , early 60's. It was such a great city! I am filled with such fine memories as I see these buildings and streets again. As kids, we were outdoors playing all the time. The parks were nearby with perfect slopes for sledding. Everything was within walking distance and very safe. For one brief shining moment there was a great city there!
My mom grew up there in the 60's and 70's and she says the same things about how it was back then. She said it gives her a twinge of sadness in her heart seeing what it's become
Similar to Detroit. Once it was on it's ascent with thoughts towards a world class city, only to all but fold largely from government mandates during the "Energy Crisis" in 1973.
The decline was perhaps slower than Gary, which had to be a grand city in its day, but it's been pretty much the same result.@@AlysiaTribeca
Because in "The Music Man", there is a song called "Gary, Indiana", I always assumed it was a great town. Back when that musical was written (50's, 60's) likely it was as you said.
I grew up there too. I loved it. Its so sad to see what it looks like now!
@AlysiaTribeca did you go to school with Michael Jackson
I suddenly got a horrible feeling that this will be what a lot of this country will look like if we continue the way we are going
I have that feeling too. 100 years ago it was "City of the Century".
It feels like our country is generally heading in a poor direction.
Well that's because of the greed in this country.
Build back better at its finest
@@thedude1982 right. because republicans notoriously put forth stellar infrastructure legistation
Must admit that I found this video heartbreaking. The architectural beauty alone that is rotting away is enough to bring a person to tears but seeing all those vacant homes that once housed families full of dreams, joy and laughter, well, there are just no words.
Same here.
I agree
It is sad as far as a town goes, but many of those people probably moved away and have happy homes in other towns now.
Trust me it does , Gary was a beautiful place in the 80's and early 90's
I live in the UK and buildings like this aren't allowed to be destroyed or amended. Anything over a certain age is considered "listed" and therefore must be protected. Is there any kind of law in place in America that helps to maintain historic architecture?
Thank you for risking your life for us to see Gary.
I worked for the local utility company in Gary for 2.5 years, it was such a grounding experience and really put into perspective how little I had to complain about in my life compared to what others deal with everyday.
Всё верно,мой друг.Все познаётся в сравнении..
"For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that whosever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life " and "I came not into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through me" This is the truth that Jesus came into the world to be put fourth as a propitiation/ sacrifice for the sins of the world so that all who trust in him shall not be condemned by their sins but be forgiven and receive by him the eternal inheritance of the rightouness of God obtained by faith in God through Jesus Christ and the inheritance of the kingdom of God, and this is life the true life that persists forever and does not perish but to all those who have not believe they are condemned because they have not believed in the Son Of God Jesus but as the bible says "wothout the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins" so then trust in him and be forgiven and "but to those who did receive him gave he power to become the children of God born not od the will of flesh or blood but of Spirit" become the children of God and receive in yourself the gift of the God which is the seal of promise unto eternal life The Spirit of God who indwells every believer and makes them thw righteousness of God, and the children of God and if children then heirs to the promises of God in Christ Jesus.
As a resident of Indiana, I’ve always had to pass by Gary whenever I went to Chicago. Never been brave enough to actually explore the city. It already looks like a dilapidated ghost town from the outside, but it was kind of crazy to see just how deep it goes.
It truly does look post-apocalyptic. Depressing. The church was particularly tragic to see… it must have been so beautiful at one time. Thank you for taking the time to show us.
But on Google maps...its shows pretty good buildings and all.
@dino ooh almost
@@juliebraden6911 my heart bled when I saw that church
The last part of the church building you showed looked like what might have been the sanctuary. You are either very brave, somewhat nuts, or heavily armed to have done this video in the first place. Fascinating work though. God keep you.
Well in Michigan has a no go zone. Even the police won’t go.
It's always surprising to me how fast a house can fall apart because it is not occupied. As if the roof was thinking "Well...there's nobody living in here, I give up!".
I've often wandered about this, but I think what's really happening is the windows are being broken and this allows the elements INSIDE where the house is vulnerable. Once mold sets in, it makes quick work of the walls allowing plant life to follow. Additionally, occupants keep the home warm in winter and cool in summer, preventing extremes in temperature from warping the house's foundational wood beams.
It's usually longer than 30 years and also usually because of vandals. Bad ass kids busting out windows allow moisture, plant life, and bugs into the home. It expedites the decay process. The overgrown grass attracts vermin. Termites do the rest.
@@Shademastermcc those are such good points. I don’t think I would’ve thought of that.
Yes like mr magoriums wonder emporium! The magic is gone 🥹
People move out when the house starts to become unlivable otherwise they would stay or it would be occupied by somebody else. A building just gets to a state where it’s just not worth putting more money in. The electoral wiring needs to be replaced, a major pipe is leaking and needs to be dug out and replaced, the roof has a leak, the basement floods. Finally it’s just time to move on. Within a year the building becomes a teardown.
Thanks for being so brave and going into the abandoned church! Just unbelievable the state of parts of America! Sad!
Lived there as a kid. We moved out to nearby Merrillville when I was very young, but many of our friends and family were still there. My parents tell me it was an awesome city in the late 60's and even early 70's. I moved away and now moved back to a nearby town, and I won't set foot in that city if I can avoid it. Not necessarily because of the crime, but because of the sadness it brings to me to see many of the fun/vibrant places I remember, looking so run down.
WOW VERY DANGEROUS SIR! 😠 😠I WILL NEVER GO TO USA!!😠 BUT THIS WHY IM SO LUCKY LIVE IN SUPER INDIA THE CLEANEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD 🇮🇳🤗 , WE NEVER SCAM! WE GIVE RESPECT TO ALL WOMEN THEY CAN WALK SAFELY ALONE AT NIGHT AND WE HAVE CLEAN FOOD AND TOILET EVERYWHERE 🇮🇳🤗🚽, I KNOW MANY POOR PEOPLE JEALOUS WITH SUPER RICH INDIA 🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳
@@indiasuperclean6969 India? Lol, you are joking.
That's what happens when the Rich re-write laws and get away with using cheap slave labor in other countries, so they have no use for american workers.
@@indiasuperclean6969 kekistan sends its regards
"For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that whosever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life " and "I came not into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through me" This is the truth that Jesus came into the world to be put fourth as a propitiation/ sacrifice for the sins of the world so that all who trust in him shall not be condemned by their sins but be forgiven and receive by him the eternal inheritance of the rightouness of God obtained by faith in God through Jesus Christ and the inheritance of the kingdom of God, and this is life the true life that persists forever and does not perish but to all those who have not believe they are condemned because they have not believed in the Son Of God Jesus but as the bible says "wothout the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins" so then trust in him and be forgiven and "but to those who did receive him gave he power to become the children of God born not od the will of flesh or blood but of Spirit" become the children of God and receive in yourself the gift of the God which is the seal of promise unto eternal life The Spirit of God who indwells every believer and makes them thw righteousness of God, and the children of God and if children then heirs to the promises of God in Christ Jesus.
I grew up in South Bend, IN. When I was a freshman in high school in 2011 my football team made the playoffs and had to play a team from Gary in Gary. Their school looked like it hadn’t been touched since 1960. We ended up beating them like 49-0. But the kids on the other team were just happy to have something to do. I felt bad for the conditions they had to grow up in though.
I'm sure they couldn't afford a decent coach, or equipment, no funding.
So your team is in the playoffs and the team you guys played from Gary was also in the playoffs? That doesn't make much sense were yawl that good or were they that bad?
If its the school i used to deliever to on 45th avenue( Lew Wallace) they closed it down a few years ago, but yeah walking through there was like going through a time machine. Except they had metal detectors.
@@paulhayden255 it was the first game of the playoffs, in Indiana every team plays in the sectionals
Your probably too young to remember Marquette elementary school in the bend ,the old one off west Hamilton street . I went there lived on north O’Brien a while
Can believe cities like this still exist in America...I'm from NJ and passing through Camden since I was a kid now in my 40's is still the same. We contribute more to other countries then taking care of our own
Driven through Camden NJ on a greyhound and was saddened to see the conditions 😢 But one lady got on next to me and was very nice 👍🏼 It’s sad when good people have to live in these conditions
The USA also goes around the world telling other countries how they should look after their people while clearly not looking after their own too well.
I spent the first eleven years of my life in Camden NJ. The day my parents said we would be moving, I was so happy. I have many fond memories of my childhood home but the neighborhood itself was absolute garbage. It hasn't changed much in the 30+ years since we lived there. If anything it's gotten worse.
Lee R 👍👍👍👍
Send as much money as you can to Donald Trump. (He won't send it to other countries. He'll keep it for himself.)
I’m glad I discovered your channel and this video. I’m also glad you included the Jackson house. Whenever I visited Gary as a kid in the 70’s, I used to return home smelling like petroleum.
First time viewer from England here...really like your documentary style, and Gary is like nothing I've ever seen. Amazing.
Currently a Gary resident. This video focused on downtown and the east side of town where there is majority of the abandoned buildings. There are beautiful homes and communities on either sides of Gary and areas where the abandoned homes and businesses are being tore down. Not condoning casinos but Hard rock casino is in the west side of Gary right off of 80/94 that brought in a lot of business and jobs to the area. The casino is hosting concerts and shows with big names celebrities that I never thought would even be named to be in this area. Gary is slowly being rebuilt but it’s being rebuilt from the outside first then working towards the inner city.
You ain't listening to the statistics
I worked at the casinos there..yes brought in jobs but within 10 years,businesses closed down..casinos rake the money,and if you look where casino boats are at in other states,its the same..people get addicted and loose and businesses close down and crime gos up!! GARY was bad even b4 the casinos..I lived and worked all around there!
Ms. Jordan, can you explain Gary in less than two paragraphs? Where are the "good" areas? Bad areas? Is the north side "white" and the south side "black" like Chicago? I hear many Hispanic families are moving in too. Any advice would be appreciated.
@@mgtowcowboy8159 I live in merrillville and there are nice houses by the beach in miller which is an area in Gary
Why isn't the blight of Gary torn down and a brand new Gary resurrected?
My dad told me Gary was the saddest, bleakest, most necrotized thing he ever saw. He passed through on a road trip from New England all the way to Nevada. He said it couldn't be called a graveyard because graveyards usually have a sense of peace and dignity. Not Gary. Really stuck with him.
I learned how bad Gary was in 1978 when Lyman Bostock was gunned down there.
Necrotized - great word.
Damn
Moral of the story, diversity is most certainly not a strength.
@@alexlaw1892 Amen to that!!!!!
Grew up just South & a little West of Gary (Schererville). My mom told me she and my aunt would go shopping in downtown Gary after WW2 (1950s) and it was really nice. By the time I cold drive (1974) no one would ever dare go into Gary, especially after dark. There used to be a big Methodist hospital there. And a commuter campus (Indiana University) with a well regarded nursing program.
The problem with such towns is that they don't demolish the empty buildings. That drags down the value of the rest of the area and you get a downwards spiral. Where I live in Holland they would clean these wrecked houses up and make the place look ok. That makes all the difference.
Banks dont care about making the city look nice. once a private investor is interested in the property, the bank sells it and it's up to the investor if they want to start from scratch or remodel. Tearing down the building and getting rid of the material waste is an unnecessary expenditure for the Bank.
@@geekers8644 You see. You completely missed the point. The value of the land is rock bottom when the whole street is full of wrecked abandoned houses. So the bank looses everything by not cleaning up. Selling a house for 5k dollars is the same as giving it away. This system of is not debatable. They figured this out a century ago and is a well proven system.
@@Dani-it5sy - you're thinking smaller than the banks do. They don't care about selling individual lots - a bank will own blocks of these, and when they DO sell, the people buying them don't care what's there NOW, as they will level, dig and build a completely new structure or set of structures on that land. Why clean up the old structures when they aren't stopping the bank from selling the land as they want to - in large scale blocks?
It's sad and it's sick and it robs the city of meaning anything to those who continue to be there, but the banks don't care about that, as they aren't required to.
if they can't clean up garbage like that they sure as hell ain't demolishing and cleaning up an entire house. Best thing people in Gary could do is get out and just let the city die
@@Dani-it5sy The US banking and housing systems operate nothing like Holland. The US government bails out the banks all the time (not just in 2008). The US banks just write the property off, give it back to the city and then the city becomes responsible for tearing the buildings down - with no tax base to raise the funds to do so. So you end up with a city in continual decline and it stays that way for so long that nobody would ever move back even if it was completely torn down and rebuilt. Not to mention these are all usually cookie cutter cities built after WWII with small lots and small houses for low income people working in factories that don't even exist anymore.
I was one of the 10% white people who grew up in Gary. That was a trip down memory lane. Loved hearing the train again. We grew up right next to that railroad track. We were robbed often, the house was shot at once. Today I live abroad as a missionary in a place that is considered dangerous. I have never felt I was in danger, probably because of where I grew up. My family still lives there.
Where may I ask , are you working as a missionary ❓
🇬🇧🆓✝️
@iatealready But your story is one of thousands where it's not a "race" issue, it's completely a "culture" issue. The culture of idolizing ignorance and criminality is what plagues black America today far more than any other perceived reason.
@@daddybandit4431 Race is a cultural construct. And historically in the US it was used to favour one group over another and as a justification for ruthless exploitation. The race problems we see lingering today in America link back to a dark economic legacy. So, you can say it's a culture issue but that's true mostly in respect to our culture having deep racial inequalities as a matter of state policy. Ultimately though, it all boils down to the wealthy versus the working class. It's just that historically, the bottom of the totem pole in the working class has always been people of colour, since race was chosen early on in America as a class marker. This shaped the destinies of millions for generations to come and we're still living in the cultural blast zone of those exploitative decisions.
@iatealready That's a good take, my grandmother grew up in Gary Indiana in the 1930s when it was predominantly white people before the "white flight" and her family relocated to San Diego, California where my dad was born. After hearing stories about Gary, I'm fortunate my grandma and her family moved to California
@@bobzacamano658 Get around a little more dude.
I was born in a town in Germany called Georgsmarienhütte. This town was also founded to provide a home for the workers of a new steel mill. In the 1970s there was also a steel crisis in Germany. The steelworks almost perished, as did the entire city. But only almost. A former manager bought the plant for a symbolic price. In fact, one of his first steps was to take out the trash. On Saturdays he helped out himself to set an example. Then he had all the dilapidated parts of the work demolished. The area was sold very cheaply to new companies from other branches of the economy. And he installed a new blast furnace in the remaining area that could fabricate special steels. The steel mill is now making a profit again. The city has been growing again for many years. So it's safe to say, if you need to start over, start by clearing out the trash.
My old steel mill city has found a major natural gas reserves it has helped Europe stay clear of that horrible man Putin
Sadly, many of the folks living in this area will typically always remain in ‘victim’ status and never strive for better. I enjoyed your story though, sounds like an admirable man who saved the German town
@@Deetroiter you are right about victim status and like that all over.
@@Deetroiter His name is Jürgen Großmann, he is still alive and is now one of the 100 richest Germans, his fortune is estimated at around 1.35 billion euros. The special thing about him is probably that he grew up in the shadow of another steel mill and simply took on responsibility as a manager. He certainly didn't need to collect rubbish back then, but he didn't just want to make money, no matter how. Rather, it was a personal matter for him. He knew the culture and pride of the steel workers. With actions like this, he freed people from their role as victims and swept them along. Incidentally, this also included the fact that he knocked off rust together with the very simple workers and gave the motto: "Nothing will rust here anymore and no paint will flake off." Fun fact: He bought the Georgsmarienhütte steelworks for EUR 2, which was around USD 2 at the time.
@@redrobur68 Wunderbar! I'll have to read more about him and the story, thank you very much for sharing it with everyone
In my many travels, I've driven through Gary several times, and it felt desolate, yet I met a couple ftom Gary at my church and they were surprisingly hopeful and optimistic.
My Uncle gave me the Grand Tour of Gary in his 58 Fairlane. When the Steel plants were operating the sky was a Weird Orange/Yellow, It actually ate the paint off some of the cars. People had money back then you would see Luxury GM cars parked in modest homes. The rest is History, Thanks Lord Spoda.👍👍👍👍👍
And they say it was all great and it's bad now. Yellow orange sky. Said it smelled
@@Maaaattologyyyy Birmingham, Alabama was once known as 'Smoke City' & Tuscaloosa had Paper Planet & was Orange City At Nights. The Paper Plant closed down & the Skies Of Tuscaloosa were Clear again. Birmingham USS closed & Skies became Clear again.
@@Maaaattologyyyy sulfur and iron oxides…… your cookware is probably doing more harm to you.
"For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that whosever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life " and "I came not into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through me" This is the truth that Jesus came into the world to be put fourth as a propitiation/ sacrifice for the sins of the world so that all who trust in him shall not be condemned by their sins but be forgiven and receive by him the eternal inheritance of the rightouness of God obtained by faith in God through Jesus Christ and the inheritance of the kingdom of God, and this is life the true life that persists forever and does not perish but to all those who have not believe they are condemned because they have not believed in the Son Of God Jesus but as the bible says "wothout the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins" so then trust in him and be forgiven and "but to those who did receive him gave he power to become the children of God born not od the will of flesh or blood but of Spirit" become the children of God and receive in yourself the gift of the God which is the seal of promise unto eternal life The Spirit of God who indwells every believer and makes them thw righteousness of God, and the children of God and if children then heirs to the promises of God in Christ Jesus.
Years back Gary always stunk and had foul air when driving through it on Indiana Toll Road. It smells much better today, and the air looks a lot cleaner. However, I make sure I don't exit the expressway when driving through Gary. I even try not to take toll road through Gary. About a few years ago, coming from the east, on the Toll Road I missed the 80/94 exit. I drove through Gary and didn't exit until in Hammond. I had no desire to drive through Chicago South Side on the Dan Ryan Expressway.
I’ve driven through Gary 3 times and what you just can’t pick up from the video is how dystopian and surreal it feels. You feel like you’re driving through Chernobyl if squatters moved in. First time I stopped here was for gas and i didn’t even bother filling up. I got just enough gas to get the hell out.
Fr you can tell it was built by an actual oil company
Trippy.
As he was walking through The Church ⛪ i had to keep reminding myself: that *I* was safe... *Trippy* some people haven't waited for 'the end' (reference: dystopian)
I messed up on my way back from Wisconsin in my early 20s with an SUV full of my friends and it was low on gas at about 3 AM when I had to pull into Gary to fill up. Most of them were asleep when I went to go in. My girlfriend at the time was in the passenger seat and I woke her up and left the keys and told her to lock the doors when I got out and if anything happened drive away. Scary Gary.
@@TheRealMasonYoung I live in Gary, and i feel okay with walking alone in the dark (call me crazy) but i do pack some kind of protection. Its not the people of Gary i find a problem, It's usually those from Chitown that want to ruin the peace and fun.
@@TheRealMasonYoung I did the same thing when I was younger. The worst part is I had no cash and my cards stopped working because my bank saw transactions from multiple states (drove to Toronto). I was running on fumes and had no money and I was in Gary. I scrounged up some loose change in my truck and filled up with what I had and got out of Dodge.
I lived in Gary for a while in the 80's. I remember people openly carrying guns down our street. I also remember many houses burning completely down on our block. There were hoodlums constantly trespassing in the yard and trying to steal stuff from our storage shed ....so we called the Gary PD. I remember the officers telling me..if you shoot one of them, make sure to drag them into your house so it looks like self defense. I also remember a few nights laying on the floor of the bedroom from the gunfire out in the street. Good times!
Yikes!
Omg lol cops telling you that....😮
Sounds inclusive
100% facts and police say the same thing to this day it's wild here but people comment saying Chicago is better not crime wise I'd say we run a tight 2nd
@Michael Levay this isn’t a klan meeting bro wyd
Thank you for a wonderful trip through Gary, Indiana! I have watched many videos such as this one, but none, yes none, capture the feeling of the city as this one does. I subscribed to your channel and look forward to the more precise descriptions of the towns and cities you provide during your visits as opposed to other channels. I love that you explain as you go through! Others I have watched simply drive through a city or town briefly describing what we are seeing. You have done a wonderful job! Thank You!
Thank you for the kind words and for subscribing!
It's really weird, eerie even, that there were no people out and about. Like zero pedestrians..
Also, mad props for going inside the church
Everything that's open and running is probably so far apart that there's no point walking, except for downtown
Hi mate, I live in Australia and I find this town as many other U.S towns in this condition its so sad
Notice how there isn’t any leaves on the trees. And people were bundled up the ones you did see. This had to have been filmed early spring right after the snow. Makes sense there aren’t many people out and about. Go there today on these hot days and Ian willing to bet those areas are filled with unsupervised children running out in front of cars.
Nope, people were out. Scarcely but they did.
@Loneshark luckily most cities don't get anywhere near this bad because they can keep the gangs somewhat under control, this town's police force must've just been slowly overrun over the last few decades so there's nothing to stop the crime
I grew up 2 towns south of Gary, about 20-30 minutes away. Everyone knows to avoid Gary if they can. I used to work construction and helped remodel a few houses there, so many abandoned and run down buildings that need to be completely gutted to nothing and rebuilt. Most aren’t even worth it, better off bulldozing and starting from scratch. But this is an example of how there is still hope for building the town back up, it’s not on a big scale or anything but work is being done.
During the day, not too bad in the more populated areas. But at night, can’t even stop at stoplights. Slow to a roll, look left and right then go. Town is eerie after dark. East and south of Gary are all pretty safe and well established towns. The steel mills still provide a lot of jobs and I know multiple people who work or have worked at them. It’s sad that a place like this exists especially being so close to a place I call home. Feels more like the run down parts of Chicago than anything. But then you drive 10 minutes away and everything nothing is like it.
It’s also crazy that so many people know about Gary, never knew it was as well known as it it. Almost 4.5 million views!
It’s very sad to see what Thatcher done here and Reagan done over there both their socioeconomic policies were adopted by successive governments
@@timmattle4730 79 /80 but I’m speaking in general not if the specific town
I feel like Gary is far more known than you think! Here in NW Ohio, most trips out west runs through Gary. Everyone here knows the notoriety of it. I'd love to visit, I'm a hobbyist architecture historian dealing with school buildings in particular and I know the city is riddled with them. Sadly, I don't think I'd have the guts to go.
@@KarsenKeith it looks a desperate place indeed , we have some decay in British towns and cities that in comparison to European countries are pretty bad. The UK is a very unequal country in European terms but I’m afraid we don’t have anything as bad looking as Gary . Our old industrial cities such as Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds , Liverpool, Newcastle etc while desperate under Thatchers rule as she was the key to their swift demise are now at least in central parts and business districts have turned the tide sure there are still some dodgy estates you wouldn’t want to walk around at night . It’s the medium sized towns and smaller towns that have not been redeveloped that are the worst , even our most desperate seems a couple of leagues away from Gary . A pity , sone lovely looking houses or at least they once were .
Does the majority oh homes and buildings in Gary have basements? I was surprised the church in this vid seemed to not have one.
In the '70s my aunt and many of my family members lived in Chicago and Gary Indiana. The interesting part is that one of my cousins actually grew up in Gary, Indiana when I was just a child and actually knew all of the Jackson 5 kids because they all went to the same school with the Jackson 5's. I remember how nice that town was and then going back 10 years later and how wiped out it appears as Detroit.
I'm 70 now and live about an hour from Gary...I have not been to the city ar anytime...my earliest memory as a child was being able to detect the steel mills when they were working by the metal work odor...we grew up in rural Jasper County and my family farmed corn, soybeans, and wheat at times...Dad had sheep, cattle chickens and started raising pigs at a laterdate...
It is such a shame to see that most of the city was in ruins...
Thank you for your video and the time you took to make it...be safe on your next journey...
Ruth originally from Goodland, IN.
❤
As a truck driver, I have gone down IN-53 (broadway) many times.
The decay of downtown Gary is both fascinating and sad.
Same man took it as a detour when 80 is backed up. Depressing driving thru it.
it's become the set of a zombie movie - crazy stuff
@@bradford_shaun_murray and they say California is bad
@@kbanghart California is the zombie movie comedy meets beach babe film.
@@bradford_shaun_murray excellent
I was born in Gary in the mid 50's. My parents were married in the Methodist Church, and I was stunned to see what has become of it. We lived in Glen Park, then moved to Miller and lived only blocks from the beach. And, yes, my dad worked at the steel mill. My grandfather owned an appliance business on Broadway in the 50's and 60's. It breaks my heart to see what has become of a once lovely little city.
My aunt and uncle moved to Glen Park as well.
I was born and raised in Gary. Graduated from Roosevelt high school. We lived in Glen park mostly, but we also lived in Marshalltown also. I left in 2002. I know how bad that city was/is. I was scared for this gentleman going in that church. Please be careful going in any abandoned buildings in Gary.
I live in Glen Park now and use to live in the Miller Atena area when I first came to Gary.
@@lekeiag Oh, Caroline, I agree!! I was nervous the whole time he was in there.
I lived in Marshall town there were no more schools for us to go to at a point i went to Bethune elementary the last school in the area
I would drive down the streets of Gary, but I don't think I would walk into the abandoned church by myself. You have the guts to do it which makes for a good video.
Yeah, a brave man for doing that. That could have been a real bad move.
The building itself says, "if walls could talk, I'd have some stories to tell". Very eirie place.
To be fair, even driving around can be a bit of an adventure in some cities.
I was doing a bit of a tour in Detroit, and then found myself in a not so fancy area.
'You take a right turn down a small residential street, drive for a little bit, all of a sudden you have a group of gentlemen having some sort of town meeting in the middle of the road and they all look as if you came in a bit too late to join them.'
That's the moment when you realize that you made a mistake and the right turn you were planning on making probably happened a street too soon.
Well luckily there was still room enough to do a 180 so I didn't have to get further lost down the wrong path...
I experienced the exact same situation in Detroit, Dan. :)
@@FrankRimes That’s humorous, but not...🫣
What an interesting video! And thanks for all the info about the steel mill, the church, the Thomas Edison Concrete houses, etc. etc.! My grandpa and grand-uncle worked at the mill probably on 1930's; My grandma grew up there and she moved out around 1970. You make it so real and authentic, like if I was really driving through there! Thanks :)
I ended up driving around in Gary a couple years ago during covid and couldn’t stop myself from driving through the dilapidated residential neighborhoods. Being in real estate I could just imagine how nice these grand homes used to be. You see it all through the South Side of Chicago too. Such amazing history and almost inconceivable to imagine how things became so run down for once thriving communities.
I live in south Philly now, grew up right outside Camden Nj. It’s 100% conceivable why the town failed. Camden used to be beautiful too. Residents move in around the 60s and stopped maintaining properties, the people who lived there before moved, riots happened and they burnt down the city. Huge sections are still burnt out from those riots that happened 60 years ago. No one wants to open a business there because the residents will either rob the place blind or burn it down at some point. Drug dealers on every single corner. Some people refuse to live like civilized humans.
It's very interesting, just get out when the sun starts setting 😂
I'm hoping for a manufacturing boom in the US after covid taught us to not rely too much on international trade and supply lines. Plus relations with China not being great. Gary needs blue collar jobs that don't require a degree. I'm sure the city would offer up tax incentives on a silver platter to any potential factory.
@@MakerInMotion there’s not going to be a manufacturing boom in America again because American workers won’t work for the extremely low wages that caused outsourcing to start in the first place.
That's the first thing I thought of when I saw how small M.Jacksons family home is. All those brothers and sisters squeezed into that little home. WoW🙂 As a long haul trucker I see so much urban decline across America. Is very sad to see. I always try and imagine what it was like to live in these places back in the days when they were vibrant. Gary is one of those places I go to a few times a year for truck loads. Is a city that is really hard on the eyes. Always relieved to get in and out of there without incident. Great coverage of this area! Thanks
I would imagine truckers see a lot of the bad areas of every city. So many areas in total disarray and decay. Where is all that tax money going?
The music video for 2300 Jackson Street highlights how big that family is haha
Same with me. I pull flatbed. Every time I hear dispatch say the name "Gary" I just want to get in and out in one piece.
My first experience of Gary was working in the Steel Mills in 2009 as a Union Ironworker from Detroit. I have been able to see many towns that are run down Flint Detroit and Gary. The mills are still running but with less people working. We are in the American Nightmare.
My ex brother in law worked there as well.
all those words u said is why america is bad again
Real estate has bottomed, cannabis not illegal anymore. DOC & town mgrs will save millions not incarcerating little old ladies & peaceful youth like the old days of fascism. Karma for that once grand church for stigmatizing, demonizing & criminalizing pot smokers & dabbers for decades.
@@davidkemp3154 wake up call , cannabis is still not legal in Indiana. For that matter , it is still illegal federally and have been a lot of federal raids lately on distributers.
This country is a shadow of its former self. We are headed for collapse
Hello Joey,
I do not comment often but I really love your videos a lot. They are a great insight of what forgotten America looks like. What you do is a treasure!
My parents were thrilled when they bought a home in Gary in 1968. I was 16. I felt like a rock had been dropped in the pit of my stomach. Even then at my young age, I sensed that it was a city headed in a downward direction. The desolation you see today began many years ago even before the collapse of the steel industry..
Do they still live there?
@@ent1311 They have passed on. Many homeowners, especially retirees are trapped there. Low property values mean they can not sell and have enough money to buy elsewhere. That is if they can sell at all.
Interesting I was just mentioning in 1968 Gary elected its 1st black mayor. During this time whites didn't want a black mayor so many packed up their business and left. Taking jobs with them. Once the Steel Mills closed that was it.
i was born there in 1961,my mom used to walk AT night to and from work as a telephone operator, my dad worked at US steel...we escaped in late 60's when certain kids teens young adults started hanging out on street corners and yards started to be piled up with junk and litter and houses started to have broken windows and boards over them...we knew it was time to get out..
we moved to hobart right next door, after i was in my teens you could tell when you drove across the border of gary and hobart immediately! like day and night
What causes that. Yes, we all know when a industrial based economy City loses that industrial base, we see what happens. But, why does the violence, destruction enter into it, the crime enter into it?
The neglect of homes, the ill respect of classical architecture, it's as if the people remaining hate where they live, hated the town previously, and now almost hate their existence.
Is there no employment in other towns, be it employment at a Walmart, supermarket of some type?
I see that many are dancing around the questions, and dancing around the answers. But, we've got to start facing these facts.
The number one issue is, the industrial based economy is long gone. That concept is over100 years old, and now at the very, very least it is 60 years out of date. It is time to think of of another economy base for the town, and people need to get out of that state of mind, where the only successful business is apparently the liquor store / bar there. That's the only thing open in that entire area, other than to downtown Supermarket the other necessity apparently.
I’m from Chesterton, Indiana. I have taken the South Shore train into Chicago all my life and it goes through Gary. Always interesting to see Gary and how different it is from my hometown only 20 minutes away. I’ve met people who recently had to move out to nearby towns because of the corruption with the government in the city of Gary. Schools closing down, mayors stealing money, and not much there for people anymore. Super sad.
Cheesetown is a world all it's own up there.
I was born n raised in Gary, Indiana resided there for 29 years. I left in 94 for Mississippi after 6 mos, back in Gary, after 5 months moved to Minnesota in September 94, been here every since. I enjoyed your video, cause at least you showed some decent parts of the city unlike many. Wishing you all the best on your endeavors. 💯👌😊
Gary reminds me of Flint, my hometown. Rich history and glory years, wealth and quality of living, great neighborhoods... then it all fell apart.
Thanks for the most interesting and informative tour and it is really shocking that a place like this could exist in the United States it's just not right that we give so much Aid to other countries and ignore our own people and their cities
26:50 My father, that happens to be named Gary. Grew up with the Jackson. My father lived just across the street from The Jacksons.
Thank you for not laughing at this sad city as others do. I can tell that you are a good compassionate human being. What happened to Gary could happen to any town that relies on one employer........... "Each man's death diminishes me, For I am involved in mankind. Therefore, send not to know For whom the bell tolls, It tolls for thee"
"For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that whosever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life " and "I came not into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through me" This is the truth that Jesus came into the world to be put fourth as a propitiation/ sacrifice for the sins of the world so that all who trust in him shall not be condemned by their sins but be forgiven and receive by him the eternal inheritance of the rightouness of God obtained by faith in God through Jesus Christ and the inheritance of the kingdom of God, and this is life the true life that persists forever and does not perish but to all those who have not believe they are condemned because they have not believed in the Son Of God Jesus but as the bible says "wothout the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins" so then trust in him and be forgiven and "but to those who did receive him gave he power to become the children of God born not od the will of flesh or blood but of Spirit" become the children of God and receive in yourself the gift of the God which is the seal of promise unto eternal life The Spirit of God who indwells every believer and makes them thw righteousness of God, and the children of God and if children then heirs to the promises of God in Christ Jesus.
One employer? Surely you are not serious ???? Did you ever walk up and down Broadway in the mid 60's ??? Did you ever look at the amount of tax money that USS paid the city of Gary for over 100 years ?? To blame United States Steel for the decline of Gary,Indiana, is like blameing Oxygen for starting fires !!!!
It breaks my heart and soul to see my hometown like this. The best memories of my life were in Gary, we used to go to Miller beach, Lake Michigan, Lake Etta, the Village mall and had a great childhood. I grew up on 21st and Hendricks, westside tarrytown. Visitng my grandmother next week in Gary. I really appreciate this video showing the good, the bad, and the ugly of my city. Thank you.
"For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that whosever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life " and "I came not into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through me" This is the truth that Jesus came into the world to be put fourth as a propitiation/ sacrifice for the sins of the world so that all who trust in him shall not be condemned by their sins but be forgiven and receive by him the eternal inheritance of the rightouness of God obtained by faith in God through Jesus Christ and the inheritance of the kingdom of God, and this is life the true life that persists forever and does not perish but to all those who have not believe they are condemned because they have not believed in the Son Of God Jesus but as the bible says "wothout the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins" so then trust in him and be forgiven and "but to those who did receive him gave he power to become the children of God born not od the will of flesh or blood but of Spirit" become the children of God and receive in yourself the gift of the God which is the seal of promise unto eternal life The Spirit of God who indwells every believer and makes them thw righteousness of God, and the children of God and if children then heirs to the promises of God in Christ Jesus.
@@kimberlybraden3209 what does this have to do with what she said? lol
@@eri020 you know, some religious folks can be a bit nutty
I still go to miller and Marquette beach every year It’s beautiful over there I love it
I grew up going to Gary to visit family. They finally left in the 80s because their son got transferred several states away and he and his wife needed help with the children.
I went to Gary to meet my boss' parents in the early 70's. I (from Seattle aged 19) was in shock because of the conditions there. I asked my boss if people just hung out in front of gutted homes and businesses on a Sunday night and he responded saying not just Sunday night but every night. His parents' house from outside looked terrible but the interior was beautiful and modern.
P.S., Your video was really interesting. Thanks for sharing.
I was born & lived in Gary until i was 14.m The Mayor of the city was Hatcher. Everyone was basically stealing from the local government. I understand the fact that closing the Steel mill had a major contributing factor of the downfall of Gary. The political corruption was just as bad. I loved my neighborhood growing up. There was so much diversity. My neighborhood was like a small capsule of the world to me. My best friend was Japanese. Her mother would dress in traditional garments. She was so sweet & kind. Knowing that family gave me hope that the world & people can be good. I miss that part of my childhood.
USS is Not closed, employee numbers are down but not closed..
Thank you for going to Gary. I wanted to see just how bad it was, especially in 2023. The state of that beautiful church is so sad. It looked like it was absolutely beautiful when it was first build. When you stated the murders rate and income per family, my jaw dropped. So sad.
It's staggering that a church took only a century to decay like that - there are churches over here (the UK) a thousand yrs old in better condition.
@@paulhcan I can only imagine. America needs to take better care of their older buildings, especially churches, museums, etc.
@@paulhcan The church was set on fire in 1997. That is one reason the "decay" is so bad.
The church stands like a monument of shame.
WARNING!!! Hell is real... We can not hide our sins from God. Is your heart right with the Lord? Jesus Christ loves you and He died for our sins. If you reject Jesus Christ, you will not see the Kingdom of Heaven.. ACTS 2:38 “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit....
Back in the early 60's we would drive from our home in the Northwest Suburb of Des Plaines, Illinois to Toledo, Ohio to visit our cousins. I remember looking out the car window from the expressway as we were passing Gary. The steel mills were in full operation, and as kids we were fascinated by all the different colors of smoke belching from the steel mill smokestacks in the distance. So sad we lost all that industry.
If you go down some rabbit holes on the internet you will find out why so many small towns and industries were moved from US…..America being killed from the inside out ! So very said to see these once thriving towns looking like ghost towns. This has. LOT to do with the elites running our world ! Wake up people !!!!!
Im sure not quite as sad as the families of the workers who's health deteriorated and eventually succumbed to all the posions they were exposed to in those jobs. catch-22.
Family worked at the mills for years until they collapsed :(. It was awful to see the abandoned huuuge structures and the ppl who lost their income.
I hear ya. My family lived in what was in the 60's a "Leave It To Beaver" neighborhood, Jeffrey Manor on the far south side of Chicago. We traveled back to the Buffalo/Rochester area each summer to visit relatives. We passed by those steel mills running full steam in that 1957-1967 time frame. Got out of the South Side when it was imploding and now is a haven for gangs and shootings. How sad how things can and do change when the wrong element moves in.
...sold it!
I know a girl who grew up in Gary and she said it was really bad. She was constantly bulied for being white, shoes/ backpacks stolen at least once a week if not more and beaten up often. She left in 10th grade with her grandma and moved to florida, leaving her parents behind. Her grandma was a widow of a former steel worker from the 60's and both parents had their own issues....definition of an escape. Very sad...but Im happy to say shes moved and is now happily married with a 2 lovely kids!
I grew up in Gary, too. We all got bullied growing up there for something unless you were a street kid. Your friend isn't special 🤷🏽♀️
@@gabriellehanks6850 wasn't the point 🤷♂️ clearly bullies had no effect on ya
@@TrunkyDunks I wonder why Gabrielle got bullied 🤷♂️
@@gabriellehanks6850 What is wrong with you?
@@Fritolay72 wrong skin color LOL!!!!!
19:27
John Eberson and the atmospheric theatre style. He designed over 500 theatres in his lifetime, earning the nickname "Opera House John".
I appreciate how you give facts about the city and show parts of the city without criticizing the city or the residents who call Gary home.😊
I was born next door in Hammond. Nobody on our block was well to do; we were all poor but.....we didn't trash our neighborhoods, we didn't steel, loot, or riot. Our parents did the best they could. Our clothes were patched up but were clean just like we were. There's no excuse to tear up your town because of poverty.
Ahh yes we went to Phil Schmits restaurant near there for special occasions. What a memory.🤗
You have no idea what real poverty is or why it’s perpetuated. Educate yourself. Read. Why do you think it’s the fault of poor people that this place is in ruins? Do their landlords not have any responsibilities? What about the owners of the massive abandoned buildings? Someone owns all that property. Landlords purposely buy cheap residences and rent them to people who can’t fight back when the landlords refuse to do even basic upkeep.
@@pechaa but how does that explain all of the trash being literally everywhere?
Crime actually went down during the Great Depression. How do you explain that?
@@pechaa Agreed, but individuals can still pick up or at least make an effort to keep things in a somewhat decent order.
My parents grew up in Gary in the 1940s and 50s and we spent a lot of time there. They were married in City Methodist Church and the pictures from their 1963 wedding are stunning.
I’d love to see pics
Thanks so much. Watching from Australia- really enjoy your tours❤
This blight and decay actually affected me physically, I got a terrible stomach ache. I'm an old man and have lived in many places from one end of the country to the other. It truly saddens me to see both the physical, moral and political demise of the country I grew up in.
I have great memories of my travels and life experiences, but glad I am near the end. Rome had nothing on us. Still a Patriot..
Why did it happen?
What did go wrong?
@@CS-ox9hn Jews.
NAFTA and the Clintons.
Hard to be a patriot when half the country hates the other half because they don't vote Democrat, including this current administration.
@@CS-ox9hn greed greed
I grew up just a few miles from here, I'm still in the area too - my family actually lived on Grant Street in Gary up until I was almost 5.
The main reason you aren't seeing homeless people around those abandoned buildings you were exploring, outside of your vehicle, is because that's not a real safe part of town. I mean, there aren't many GREAT spots to be sleeping unprotected outdoors in that town - but that would be a prime spot that someone with ill intentions might start to look for a victim who won't be noticed missing right away. Sad but true.
Homeless get left alone, not like they have anything to take, homeless usually consume from nicest areas anyway,
I concur, the homeless know where, and where not to go, volunteering in a homeless shelter in the past I would hear the stories.
Probably because there are no services for homeless, that costs a lot of money. My city spends $234,000,000 annually on the homeless population.
@@dpagain2167 And no one to beg from.
Are there homeless at all? I would think anyone that can't afford their mortgage would just move into the nicest empty house.. even just squat right where they're at if it's not a nicer area. Can't imagine the banks have a whole lot of leverage there.
I've often heard truckers refer to this town as Scary, Ind. Now I can certainly see why.
Could you imagine if those abandoned houses could tell their stories. About the family's that once lived in them
Thats what I was thinking, go back to Thanksgiving 1949 Think of all the wonderful family gatherings it must have been so nice.
Yes.
It’s sad you have to go back 70 yrs to see Gary in its limelight. Goes to show the many great cities that got lost to poverty, no jobs, and drugs.
I would love to go back in time and see these towns, as prosperous towns that they once were.
I totally agree
U.S. Steel's Gary works once produced more steel than any other mill. My family rented a cottage near Lake Michigan in Gary's Miller Beach section back in 1948, when Gary was an attractive, thriving urban center of 180,000 residents. It's difficult to imagine Gary ever recovering from the downward spiral of deindustrialization.
It can't recover because it did not have the other "infrastructure" that Pittsburgh or Philly had. No big universities. No medical institutions. Nothing to re-attract people.
My mother born in 1926, grew up in Hammond, Indiana. passed away at age 89 in Florida. Used to talk about family in Gary back in the 1940s. Times were often tough around there then. She made good money at age 18 reading blueprints for a munitions plant during WW2. Family and friends stuck together during war time, while brothers and sons went to war. Chicago and Lake Michigan were the places to go for fun. Brutal cold winters and hot summers. Not much money but she spoke of fun times in these places and some good childhood memories, even when only one dress was all she had, butter/apples were a luxury, and was unable to walk for three months from polio at age 18. She got married and moved to miami in the 50s. From then on never stopped talking about missing fun times in these places back then.
you can thank bipartisan policies for allowing overseas manufacturing of so many goods that places like these were unable to compete with slave-wages which led to their subsequent demise. The mass outsourcing of labor and production will be our undoing; all in the name of a better bottom line for corporations.
Yep, that level of large scale industry will likely never recur that way again in the USA. However, there is likely a lot of opportunity for more smaller scale manufacturing in other cities (depending on government incentives).
This is partly because of the problematic trade relationship with communist china.
@rugbyguitargod while the bipartisan politicians had a large hand in this, I lived in Bethlehem Pennsylvania, the home of Bethlehem Steel, the greedy union bosses had as much to do with the death as any politician. EVERY SINGLE SHOP that hitched its wagon to the United Steel Workers Union is LONG gone. Steel mills, Food markets, Silk mills, Garment workers, etc.,etc.
For a Dutch citizen , it is hard to imagine the decline and decay, of these once florishing american towns. And yet it is fascinating and almost mesmerizing, to behold this utter desolation. Impressive documentary , guys.
The American willingness to let financial considerations be our sole decision criteria leads to this situation in every one of our states. Along with the abandoned buildings are abandoned people, even some who have moved away.
I live in Ohio. One town realized for years they had been overcharging for city tax for like 10 years. They won’t be sending the money back because they don’t have it to send. 😂
I've been going to Gary a lot lately this year.
From the 90's til now, I've watched a decline.
It was crazy how I drove down the streets and the traffic lights don't work, as if they didn't pay the light bill.
The many homes I lived in are now, appears to be abandoned. The four that I remember. Tried to show my girl where I grew up, it was embarrassing, because it wasn't like that in the 90s.
A couples cities over, and you'll see a world of difference.
It's devastating to see what most of Gary looks like today versus what it once was. A lot of people who are still there do take pride in their city and I feel like it will rise again out of the ashes. I lived in Hobart a city that touches both Gary and Merrillville where you stayed and it is night and day drastically a different place. Good schools low crime rates jobs etc. People from neighboring cities take their trash and dump it in Gary because nobody stops them 😢 and they don't want to pay a dump fee. So the trash is not just from the residents. I wish we could get some sort of initiative to put people to work cleaning up the city and rebuilding and rehabbing the homes and structures worth saving and demolish the ones that need to go. You should also look at the homes in Miller Beach and show Marquette Beach on lake Michigan,they are both in Gary Indiana. ❤️🤍💙
Thats what happens when you build a whole town that relies on one industry. I'm a colorado native and my state was first populated during the gold rush. Colorado didnt end up being one of the best places for gold but they diversified with farmland on the east and mining other minerals on the west. More recently, when colorado legalized marijuana, there was another influx of people. The state parks are well-maintained, there are many universities, taxes are relatively low etc. All these things make a place attractive to live at and keep the money flowing unlike Gary.
I love it that you went right up to the gates of U.S. Steel Gary Works. As an engineering consultant, I've been through those Gates a few times many moons ago.
I work at us steel. I've never once had a problem in Gary on my way to work or coming home. My parents grew up in Gary though and it's crazy how it went from being one of the nicest cities in the country to being run down with abandoned and broken homes,drugs,murders etc. It's hard to imagine it in my head.
That's true..in the 40s@ 50s it was very nice town. 60s it changed and end of the 70s went bad. Around the hospital had beautiful homes..it is sad that the people that moved in ruined that town..
@@kellysanders7857 or the folks who moved out abandoned their homes.
@@glennwall552 but who vandalize them? Could have been resold. Who did the crime..come on..Gary was a beautiful town at one time..
@@kellysanders7857 wonder who those people were
A few years back, my friend's daughter went to Gary with her friend to hang out with this guy. He wouldn't release them, took her truck, and her friend returned a few days later by herself. My friend's daughter was missing for a year until they found her remains. He was later arrested and charged with her demise. Her name was Jessica Flores. 😢
🥺
Don't tell me, the guy was blaq? I'd be very surprised if he was another color.
What they really need to do is level three quarters of Gary and rebuild factories and homes but nobody wants to invest in an area that's controlled by thugs and violent criminals.
That's a horrible story. I'm sorry for their loss.
Rip
IM SO BLESSED I WASN'T RAISED OR LIVED IN A PLAYCE LIKE INDIANA. WOULDN'T WANT TO VISIT EITHER.
IM SO BLESSED THAT I WAS RAISED IN GARY, INDIANA. GOD IS GOOD BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE THE WRONG PERCEPTION ABOUT GARY.
Great episode! I am a Chicago boy, born and raised and still here. My early memories of Gary would have been driving through as a family on our way out of town. Gary would be about the spot where dad said "lock your doors." After college I joined the Marine Corp, and as a 2nd Lt Platoon Commander during the invasion of Panama, I became interested in Edison upon learning that he'd supplied much of the concrete used to build the canal (seems you don't get rich off quirky inventions) sold to the U.S Govt. So it was in a war zone where I read a book on the life of Thomas Edison. I'd somehow forgotten that Gary was one of the cities that tried out his concrete homes. For what it's worth, all concrete is, unlike us Americans, not created equal. Edison was a stickler for absolute quality, and that is why those homes stand today as they do, cool in the summer and warm in the winter, with very little crumbling or foundational issues. More importantly, the Army Corp of Engineers and Congress bet on the right guy in Thomas E, because the Canal concrete has held like a champ. During the same period of time you will find that nearly all Chinese and Soviet major dam sites have had to be completely refortified. Love your channel. Ps: I felt safer sniper hunting, door to door, in 1983 Beirut than I would have felt going into that church with you. I hope you're armed.
Read “War is a Racket” by Smedley Butler and work to stop US imperialism from here on out moto.
I don't think the church and urban exploration is that dangerous, there in different levels of danger, how you carry yourself, what you're driving (chargers and challengers, trackhawks can draw attention) also weather (whos out and about). I think it's more dangerous of someone knows or is aware of you, (gang or rivalism). Of course living in Indiana we stay well armed.
Chicago is where I lock my doors lol
Какого черта ты поперся в Бейрут? Зачем вы лезете на чужие континенты?
The Palace Theater was designed by architect John Eberson and built in 1925 in Gary, Indiana's Emerson neighborhood. It seated an audience of 3000 and featured live stage shows, vaudeville acts, and motion pictures.
John Eberson was famous for creating atmospheric theaters, which became popular in the 1920s. Atmospheric theaters were designed to resemble European courtyards or gardens and to make the audience feel like they were immersed in the scene rather than observing it from afar.
The curved ceiling of the movie palace was painted the dark blue of an evening sky and projectors cast wispy clouds onto it.
Remember the Frank Lloyd Wright house in Gary?
I've lived down the road from Gary my whole life. Worked at USS for 5 years... Looks like you stayed mostly to the main drags (during the day). You're pretty safe in the populated urban zones in daylight hours, and the area by the baseball stadium is mostly fine. If you go south more than a few blocks from the expressway into the neighborhoods it gets substantially more dangerous. Substantially. Cops will pull "normal" drivers over in these areas because they assume you're buying drugs or guns. If you're not doing illegal stuff they'll tell you to leave.
If you go a little northeast you'll run into Miller Beach which still has beautiful homes and trendy businesses. Frank Lloyd Wright has a couple beautiful homes up on the lake shore. Gary isn't a war zone but if you find yourself in the wrong area at the wrong time you're going to be in a world of trouble.
I was going to comment on blindly driving around in Gary, he must have had info on the areas to stay out of to avoid being robbed etc.
I was born in East Chicago, Indiana in 1942 and raised by my father in Gary in a little neighbourhood called Clark Station which was in NW Gary off the industrial highway. I went to Gary Edison High School and graduated in 1960. Gary was a fantastic place to live. We used to go to see the movies at the Palace theatre on Broadway and the State theatre on State Street. I met my beloved wife of 56 years ( she passed away in 2019) at Edison and we got married at the Brunswick Presbyterian Church in 1963. After attending Florida State University., I returned to Indiana and taught science at Merillville High School. Alas, I saw the writing on the wall vis-a-vis trouble brewing in the area and left the USA to settle in Australia. Never before was I so saddened as I was when I saw the terrible conditions that exist now in the town of my youth. I'll always be a Hoosier, but with an Australian mysti que. I put the blame where it should be squarely on the political mess that existed in NW Indiana and the money grubbers who offshoredy all the good jobs and industry to cheaper foreign countries.
I would venture a guess that you could not have expected 5.3M views in such a short time let alone over 14,000 comments?!?! Thank you for showing compassion during the filming of this eye-opening tour of Gary.
Thank you. You drove past my old house which was somewhat in fair condition and occupied. I lived there in the 70's and though the city was in decline, it was safe and there was much life in the city. Over 20 schools were closed down in Gary and the architecture is fabulous. Worth coming back for but as always be safe. I decided not to come back to Gary after I retired from the military and now reside in South Carolina.
That’s a fascinating story on your part. May I ask, what has happened to your house now? I take it that the other homes are still having property taxes taken care of since somebody still owns them.
I feel strongly moved to thank you for this beautiful and powerful view of a place in time. The sadness of the decay and neglect is somehow balanced by a hope for the future. All of these structures were built with such good intentions, people dreaming of a better world and community, and yet not built sustainably, not maintained. What you have recorded and preserved tells me that we can do better. Ruins have always given me hope.
Great comment.
Beautifully said
I lived in Gary Indiana 25 years. Back in 2014 I moved to Hammond Indiana. Gary has good neighborhoods and bad like any other cities. I am currently 72 years old and white and most times feel safe walking and shopping in Gary in the daytime mostly.
My basic rule is spend as much of your income where you live. If you can’t purchase what you need go to a neighboring city. KEEP YOUR MONEY AS CLOSE TO HOME AS POSSIBLE. If everyone did this all of our cities would be thriving.
thats great philosophy.. i also follow this guideline
I am the same , you want local business you've got to buy local , plus people see you as a local , it goes a long way
Are you kidding? Gary looks like Tijuana. It’s by far the worst city I’ve ever been in and doesn’t seem to be getting much better. It’s hard to believe Gary is in the US.
@@emagneticfield ko nah
Thank you 😊
I was born and raised in Gary back in the 50's - the late 60's. The memories of my grandparents, our family, the beautiful city. We'd sit with my mother everyday outside the city hall waiting for my Dad to come home on the South shore line. We'd picnic in Miller Beach. On Holidays there were parades down Broadway. The church you showed...idk if it used to be The First Presbyterian Church of Gary which was just as big. It's so sad to see it as it is now. We lived at 444 Monroe St. Lush green lawns and trees. I wish you drove down Monroe St. There was a section where all the streets were Presidents names. When we finally left the beautiful huge home we had and all the others down our street sold for $1.00.
How i miss the old days! 😢
I imagine how tired of getting asked if you ever talked to Michael Jackson you are given the date and the place you was born and raised haha
@@aSome1 lol, actually no. I'm the one who has to boast to everyone that i was born a couple streets away from the Jackson family. And we were even all born in the same hospital... Gary Methodist Hospital. Truth be told Joe Jackson accidentally took me home and my Dad Joe Jacob accidentally took Michael home. Then after The Jackson's realized i couldn't sing he returned me to the hospital and complained. They finally sorted it all out 😄! Lol... But seriously we were all born at Gary Methodist!
You could google Earth the address
@@AndreaSimone57 Heyyy, i never thought of that. Andrea...no wonder you get paid the big bucks! :)
once the whites moved out, the city went to hell - same with detroit many other cities
So sad seeing such an old beautiful church and historical homes being left derelict to deteriorate, due to industry closing down . Thankyou 🇦🇺
That Methodist church made me think of what the great Catholic monasteries of England must have been like in the decades after their Dissolution by Henry VIII in the sixteenth century.
If you ever come back to Gary take a ride through the Miller/Marquette park section of the city,there’s a big difference from what you saw down town.
As a truck driver I appreciate being able to see lots of America. And Gary, IN was definitely one of those places. I was quickly in and out only because that’s how I am for most places I go to.
I’ve lived in Gary for almost two years now, and the thing about Gary is that there are very dangerous places and relatively safe places. The thing I love about Gary is the people. I’ve lived all over Indiana and never have I had such nice neighbors. The thing I hate about Gary is people’s lack of interest in change in the city.
Although Gary has made progress in the past five years it is no where were it used to be. Because Gary has a bad stigma most developers pass by the city. Crime may be high in Gary but Gary also has one of the best hospitals in the area, and one of the best Police Departments(at least from what I’ve seen).
Gary has the potential to be great, if only people would care to help.
I also forgot to mention the Miller beach area were there are half million dollar homes.
Also most homeless people in Gary become squatters.
Yuck, sorry to hear you live there that place is disgusting.. I live in Brisbane, Queensland Australia, look it up
@@lillysbookcase9682 That's what first came to my mind when he said he saw no homeless people, "isn't it obvious? with that much abandoned property if someone's homeless they're likely to pick a home that nobody cares about", there seems to be a bunch of those. Also, it's nice that someone who lives there chimes in to talk about the human aspect behind the numbers and the pictures.
Very good point, highlighted by the piles of trash that were passed by. While this is so true, what motivation(s) are the local government performing to help get people involved and care again? It's been over a decade since I worked with the local officials there, I pray most our gone and your once great city can heal once again.
The crime and murder rate etc doesn't really reflect the reality that well. We're not talking about "common" people getting murdered on the streets for the sake of it like the movie purge.
This format gives me so much more than all the other shiny infosites or tourist tales about the USA. It shows the backyard, the other side of the real life in the USA.
Thanks mate, even to your wife, from Germany for these impressions.
Thank you!! :)
You really don't see a lot of this in the US.
@@Fighton31 Seems to be a common occurence all across the country there.
Names of the cities will change in such videos, yet the footage will virtually stay the same - the story of dilapidation and decay.
Take it from one who knows: Gary was a very diverse city when the mills were in full production, while it was making steel. People were coming to Gary from all over the country to work in the mills. The mills also had a robust support industry grown around them. Some of it supported the mills, and most of it supported the population.
Production ramped way up in the late 60's when the US entered the Vietnam War. Defense contracts paved the way. Labor didn't get wealthy, but investors did. Costs of goods and services always just matched wages. Got a 10 cent raise, bread would go up 12 cents immediately, same day.
When the Vietnam War petered out, the industries (there were many) started laying off. Production was cut in half or more, and people had to move out. The support industries buttoned up their operations, and moved as well.
That cut taxes. That cut government, and the remaining people had to figure how to survive on what was left standing. But there were no jobs for them, and importantly, for their children. Essentially, the economy of the area collapsed. The lesson to learn is how important manufacturing is to an economy. It is a driver from start to finish. If you make cars you drive a car. If you don't you ride the bus.
The difference between wealthy investors and labor is that the investors can pull their investments, and they are still wealthy. Can labor sell their homes? Nope. No buyers. Labor has to migrate. Basically, leave everything they've work for, and start over with whatever is left of their earnings.
That's the story of Gary from an economic viewpoint.
It also highlights what happens when wealthy investors take their operations off shore. Local economies tank. There has to be a better way than having to rely on them. Profit sharing comes to mind. Anyway, have a great holiday season ya'll.
Lord Spoda, I have to commend you for having the balls to get off the Indiana Toll Road in Gary and actually exploring the city. Thank you for your service.
got balls, indeed. grew up in Highland, In. went to IUN right off Broadway. worked at US steel in summers. all I kept thinking is "I hope this guy's packing"
I just assumed he had to be 😂
i would go burn the place down
No doubt, definitely wouldn’t do that at night.
This is a great video, I am from Canada, and I take motorcycle trips to the US and go deep into the bowels of the cites of America taking photos of abandoned churches, abandoned gas stations and unkept graveyards, I know it kind of odd thing to do but it has become a passion of mine. I have of yet to go to this city Gary , Indiana but it will be on my list. America is an absolutely beautiful country with endless beauty and diversity and then are places that look like third world countries. I have recently travelled to Detroit and I have to say it was quite an experience. I rode my motorcycle into the surrounding areas of the downtown core and saw some awesome period deco architecture and then ventured out into outlining areas and I could not help notice the once splendid and magnificent homes now lay in complete ruin. Not a single thing of value was left, not even the metal doors hinges remained. The entire neighborhood were abandoned except for single isolated gas station and not far from there a group of kids hanging around watching a small fire set in one of the dilapidated homes, the only sound of life was the sound of fire trucks, it was a very eerie sight indeed. thank you for posting and giving this great narrated tour
I grew up and have lived in Southern California and recently have been on a trip across the country and I absolutely LOVE all this dead and abandoned stuff. Southern california doesn't have much history or decay. Mostly skyrocketing housing prices. That might change, but it's not very romantic. I love seeing all the history and imagining how it was. It's a beautiful sad painting, run down houses in a field in the mist, old abandoned barns, dying towns...
What is your favorite city or state for the US?
They shifted manufacturing to tech and service jobs and consolidated wealth on the coasts. Most of these violent run down mid western cities were the heart of the USA for a very long time. I say this as a white guy we say it effected us the most but sometimes I wonder if loss of manufacturing was about race.
All those great migration cities lost all the decent jobs and all those cities had large black populations and still do. Obviously money and globalization was a factor but sometimes I think it also involved cutting off your nose to spite your face.
I would have loved to see Detroit Cleveland st Louis when they were equal to new York or la
Fellow Canadian, lol.
You could probably "tiktok" your trips and blow up tbh.
15:05 if the worshippers of that church - back in the better times of the city - could see this footage of the future of their church they would probably think atomic war or some end times had come. Sad stuff this. It's a crazy world.
I'm from Sweden and I think it's depressing to see a city just fall apart like that. In Sweden it's mostly small villages that you can say looks the same.
What’s you village name so I can take a look at it
"follow the money" - instead of re-investing in the business, the money gets sucked up by the owners and deposited in off-shore bank accounts where it sits to finance their lavish lifestyles elsewhere. residents will have less money to spend, the tax burden for maintaining the infrastucture will be deemed too high and cutbacks will accelerate the downfall of the community
Hey Sweden, I'm 💯 swedish and never been, don't speak the language but looks beautiful
Jag tror snart Sverige är där snart.Bor i en stad i Västergötland och det börjar bli hemskt.Förfall.
@@laszlozoltan5021 Sadly to say it's true.
Really enjoying your videos.So much desolation in some of those cities towns.Will be working my way through more of your videos.Thanks.
I was born and raised in Gary we moved out in 1972. It's very sad that it's this way. The really nice area is around the Methodist Hospital and former St Marys' Hospital aka police station between 6th and Grant St and 7th and Tyler. Those homes which I believe you showed for a little bit were the doctors homes with maids quarters as well. Thank you for doing this, I love to see how they have progressed or not. I would imagine they need to take down all those abandoned homes and start over. I don't think that will ever happen. Be safe!
I just happened to catch your vlog....I was raised in Gary. Gary, like so many other towns that lost it's original purpose..in Gary's case it's steel..but Gary is a victim of at least one success...a great school system but little job opportunity. Every one of those buildings that you drove past had a story for me...Sears, Goldblatts, Woolworth, the Palace Theater. My parents, born and raised in Chicago, moved to Gary in 1955...from Chicago...where as WWII Vet"s, both were WWII...my parent"s could not use their veterans benefits to purchase a house in Chicago! By the way...we are Black!
So, we moved to a brand new black working class neighborhood in Gary filled with steel mill workers, there were 2 passenger train conductors on our block..CTA and IC, postal workers, RR Donally next door, We even had doctors who lived in the neighborhood and made house calls! Our neighborhood was built by a black contractor. Most of my neighbors were also black, many were veterans who also had moved from Chicago and like my dad...yes I had a dad as with practically every household in my neighborhood...the folklore being that black famlies don't have fathers...we weren't raised in a fatherless environment. After I finished high school I also worked in Chicago.
Gary is a product of it's own success. As a product of the Gary school system...which was one of the best in the 50's through the 60's...the height of the civil rights movement which I had been a part of during the 60's and the 70's, my black neighborhood produced many of the top graduates in our high school...based on SAT scores.. during the 60's the state of Indiana decided to "integrate" the high school system and worked hard to inspire all of us to get a higher education. Not only was it the era of the Civil Rights movement but the beginning of the Vietnam war. And many after graduating from collage relocated to where they could take advantage of that education they obtained. Gary, being a steel mill town, offered few opportunities for those who successfully finished their higher education..there were a family of Harvard graduates down the street, Columbia University in N Y scholarship across the street, IU scholarships in my family, classmates who went to Purdue, to Lincoln in Mo.,Ball State, and so many other collages and relocated where they went to collage. Or some like me, got a great job that became a career and went to collage in my spare time.
In your vlog you drove north down Broadway passed 5th Ave, but somehow you missed the massive campus of Indiana University NW which is on 35th and Broadway where in one of my Labor Study classes I learned that Gary is no different than Pittsburgh and any other steel mill town where steel production was moved over seas. Or no different from coal mining towns, like in Appalachia, where coal mines are shut down, but many of those people have actually remained in those states, and in poverty. But somehow, usually only Gary gets the notoriety! In addition...Chicago is less than 20 minutes down the expressway. When a number of their projects were closed down, former residents were given vouchers to move to Gary. I can go on and on about the political issues that initially began Gary's decline starting way back when I was a youth member in NAACP in Gary when Richard Gordon Hatcher ran to become the first black mayor in a metropolitan city...he won, became the mayor, and funding for anything pertaining to Gary soon became the political object! But we were blessed to still have had access to a great education, even our children from subsequent generations who graduated from the same schools we went to are doing great and representing all over the country! We also are proud products of a great neighborhood where everyone looked out for one another and our parents knew our neighbors 3 and 4 blocks away! Very few can say that today! But in America you go where that great job and financial security leades you! However, like so often all over this Nation many get stuck in those traps created to divide us. We are not at all ashamed of Gary, we/I come back home all the time and we hope and believe one day our city will recover! Noone can really tell the truth about Gary if you ignore or don't know its history!
If you had a chance to repopulate that city with immigrants and homeless people from the west coast, would you do it? It would mean jobs for the current residents.
@@davidtrotman5990 I don't understand how you deduce that bringing homeless people and immigrants to Gary would "provide jobs"? The issues of homelessness and immigration won't be solved by dumping people into any city...and by the way, I love to remind people that unless you are Native or a decendant of slavery (I am) this Native land is a nation of immigrants where people came..running from all the isims in their original Nations to seek a better life! Like Chicago there are plenty of local homeless people and those in poverty in Gary so without federal funding or jobs...Gary isn't a dump site and there are plenty established neighborhoods in Gary where people are not in poverty. Gary just needs restoration. Just like my parents moved into a brand-new neighborhood in the 50's new neighborhoods can be rebuilt. I've seen Chicago tear down old neighborhoods and build new homes and it can happen in Gary!
I don’t agree with David’s insinuations but wouldn’t it be great if we could successfully and WITH ASSISTANCE help relocate homeless people and immigrants seeking sanctuary and give them the opportunity to fix this mess up. I know there’s myriad reasons for homelessness and I typically shy away from sweeping generalizations but specifically every immigrant I’ve ever known from Mexico and South America were the hardest working and most dedicated people I’ve ever had the privilege to work alongside of. It’s disgraceful that certain politicians (namely Abbott and DeSantis) are literally trafficking desperate human beings for a political stunt. Give people something of their own. That they can be proud of. Don’t like it? Better get used to it because as the rich become richer and the poor become slaves the rest of us are going to be refugees from either climate or food instability. Not to mention the RW gun nuts who will murder anyone for seemingly any reason or actually lack of a reason.
I agree with your comment about how hard-working many of the people are that politicians love to malign, but then you say “Give people something of their own,” and you lose me. Are you offering to “Give them” some of your property and money? How’s about you “give them” some of your children’s or families homes or land? When you GIVE someone something is it truly “their own?”Then you go on some sort of rant about “RW gun nuts.” I’m former military and I own guns. My son and daughter both own firearms and we enjoy going to the outdoor range to shoot. I suppose WE are the problem? All of us are college educated, my daughter is a vegetarian but I grew up hunting and eating what I killed. I’m sure if you take our guns away, the murder rate in Chicago will drop dramatically. 🤔. You need to think things through on a little deeper level-in my opinion. I’m a “nut” though so my opinion isn’t really valid anyway. ❤️🫡
One thing that troubles me is this: My ggg-grandfather worked in the lumber industry in SE Wisconsin. There were acres and acres of these massive trees. The lumber companies just went through clear cutting the huge centuries old trees, and then sold the land cheap to immigrant farmers. That lumber went to build so many of these homes from the first half of the 20th century. The massive trees have been cut to build these houses, and now the trees are gone, and so are the houses.
I was born in Gary in 1958 and lived there until we moved to Merrillville in 1967. I can remember when the downtown was packed with shoppers and the stores were all vibrant. US Steel had 25,000+ employees in the 1970s; I think there are just a few thousand now. It was a great city at one time. There’s a section of the citY that you did not film, Glen Park, that’s where I grew up. I drove through that section several years ago when we came back to visit relatives in Indiana. Glen Park was also looking pretty rough. When the steel mills died so did the city.
Does no one use steel anymore? Where does steel come from now? Are all steel jobs automated?
@@ncvman a lot of the steel jobs have been automated.. plus there way more competition from foreign steel makers.
When the steel mill was built so was the city. They were dependent on each other. Stuff changes - move on!
@@ncvman Pretty sure most of the steel manufacturing went overseas to China etc... Much cheaper to buy from them then from American steel. Which is true for everything. Companies in America have to pay their workers a higher wage then the rest thus making the product they are making more expensive so the owners can make a profit. It's sad but a massive amount of jobs have gone overseas so Americans can buy products at a cheaper price and more "importantly" the owners of said companies can get filthy rich
@@jaydbakes In other words, capitalism, JayD.
Thank you for making this video. I was born in Gary because it was the nearest hospital to Hobart where I grew up. My parents would talk about the beautiful city that Gary had been in their generation we had gone to the theater when we were children and it was absolutely beautiful! Also just out of the town there was a race car track named Broadway Speedway. It would have been nice for you to go there. But thank you for showing us what a beautiful town can end up looking like when it is abandoned.
I grew up in a similar place. My career was mostly overseas and I saw a LOT of places like this but the homes were still lived in by the extremely poor. I have no words for those experiences.
I, too, was born in Gary 67 years ago and grew up in Crown Point. As a child, I remember taking the bus downtown and shopping in a bustling city. Imagine all of those homes in the video filled with families, kids playing in the neighborhoods. While the steel industry was Gary's backbone, there was lots of other businesses and industries to support a vibrant community.
The story of Gary and it's demise is documented in many places. Can it be saved? Whoa, it would be very difficult. Where does one come up with money to demolish all the decay? How do you attract industry and other money input? Fascinating video. Modern ruins similar to other areas across our nation.
Grew up in Merrillville but played ball at Junedale L.L. in Glen Park. So sad. Later did lots of work in Gary. Great people, and now I won't consider it.
You mention there were lots or other businesses and industry, which reminds me of the coal industry in WV being crushed. Coal money fed the supermarkets, gas stations, and other businesses. When Democrats, like Hillary, killed the coal industry it choked all those other local businesses. It appears steel to Gary was like coal to WV. Ironically Coal was an essential fuel needed for refining steel, so there's two industries destroyed by our government.
Stop all the foreign aid and rebuild America. Be hard-core on criminals. Support jobs, workers, business and families as a whole. Have a flat 10 percent tax. That's a start. Imo
Look up the story of Fishtown, Pennsylvania. Was starting to get rough, never to Gary's level, but now it's a gentrified, completely safe downtown neighborhood. That could happen in Gary, and probably will, because they're going to need more housing and it's cheaper to develop out than up when you can.
I hope not more government spending, which in the long run will be disastrous for the nation
I was a trucker for 5 years and have delivered there many times i never encountered anything out of the ordinary. I love chicago very much and i absolutely love the midwest . Good luck on your travels and stay safe out there.
"For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that whosever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life " and "I came not into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through me" This is the truth that Jesus came into the world to be put fourth as a propitiation/ sacrifice for the sins of the world so that all who trust in him shall not be condemned by their sins but be forgiven and receive by him the eternal inheritance of the rightouness of God obtained by faith in God through Jesus Christ and the inheritance of the kingdom of God, and this is life the true life that persists forever and does not perish but to all those who have not believe they are condemned because they have not believed in the Son Of God Jesus but as the bible says "wothout the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins" so then trust in him and be forgiven and "but to those who did receive him gave he power to become the children of God born not od the will of flesh or blood but of Spirit" become the children of God and receive in yourself the gift of the God which is the seal of promise unto eternal life The Spirit of God who indwells every believer and makes them thw righteousness of God, and the children of God and if children then heirs to the promises of God in Christ Jesus.
When I was young we went to Gary for shopping. It was a beautiful place. You can drive around and see how beautiful the buildings once were.
It's fascinating, just watching this is surreal. It feels like nostalgia, and I can almost smell the air ripe with broken dreams and lost souls. What a quintessential American tragedy of a town. The rise, fall, and the result.
Truly heartbreaking. I was born in Gary and my father worked in the steel mill. He passed in ‘84 from asbestos poisoning due to working there and in ‘85 we moved to Detroit. As a teen, I would go back to visit friends and family and prior to 2019 my last visit was about 20 years ago. Just seems like a ghost town compared to when I lived there 😢😢
I live in a close suburb of Gary and have enjoyed watching this because I am afraid to go there. I have read the history and am sad that such a great town has so deteriorated. A few years back I went to help feed the poor a Thanksgiving meal
there with some friends. I was in awe of the church and am so glad to see it up close like this. There was once a Frank LLoyd Wright home they were going to try to save but someone burned it down, I don't understand why the state let this happen to this town.
Por que seu país EUA só vive fazendo guerras em outros países e acabou esquecendo o seu país
It's not the state, it's our version of capitalism in which there is no money for the society.
There's only money for the companies and their shareholders.
Please vote for progressives so we can change priority to the people? 😀👍
@@bra1387No. Es la sistema económica...
That is so sad!
@@bra1387In the US federal government is not responsible for upkeep of cities.
Joe & Nic's road trip really enjoyed ur video very well done ive subscribed to ur channel because of how nicely you've done thanks again
I grew up in Gary during the 1960s when the city was thriving. There were beautiful homes and neighborhoods throughout the city. Mayor Hatcher was the first elected Black mayor in the US. There were steel mills throughout the city, and people were making great money. During that time frame, the City of Gary streets were kept clean, and Mayor Hatcher did a great job of keeping the city and its facilities running well. There were a lot of street gangs mostly made up of kids/teenagers that lived in the same area. The downtown area always stayed busy with shoppers and vehicle traffic. Every year around October, when the major automotive manufacters released their new models of cars and trucks, residents of Gary would be the first to buy them. The winters were severe, but the heavy snowfalls made Gary look like a winter wonderland at times. Throughout the city, most kids played a lot of basketball and baseball. I played both, but I excelled in baseball playing first base and was a switch hitter. My favorite team was the Chicago Cubs, and the players I admired were Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, and Ron Santos. There were baseball little league teams throughout Gary, and many people believed I had an opportunity to make it to the pros. I eventually moved to Birmingham to help my grandmother around the house, and there was no baseball program at the school I attended. But to look at Gary now thorough the lens of this podcast is truly heartbreaking. At one point the City of Chicago was trying to buy Gary airport and turned it into a third reliever airport for the city. That move would have completely rebuilt Gary with new residents and businesses to support the new airport. I have not visited Gary in over 14 years, so I don't know what happened to that deal. Thank you for the podcast because it really brought back some good memories.
Great comment!
Michael Jackson was living there then in the 1960s.
The airport deal with Chicago fell through but a local group got federal money to lengthen the runway and relocate a rail line. The RUclips video didn't really go into businesses moving there from Illinois to the area around the airport or the east side around the I-65/90/94 interchanges. Gary has a stigma that is hard to shed.
@John Lazar I wondering about public transport in Gary. Is there a train station or buses or coaches? I just wondered what people do if they don't drive a car. Where is the closest airport? I read that Hard Rock Cafe has opened there. The video didn't talk about schools, doctors and health care and hospitals things like that or parks and public swimming pools or things like that. From what I understand the Steal Mills closed so the main industry is no more.
@@AndreaElizabeth100 the steel mills are still there, but people live 20 minutes away or more and drive in. The South Shore commuter railroad has 3 stations and is being improved. There's also a bus system that nobody seems to use. It's really a weird ghost town that needs a lot of vacant property cleared out, but the video really didn't show some of the new investment and businesses in the area. It's very easy to be negative about Gary.
I was raised in Gary. This is heartbreaking, but I'm not surprised. It was such a beautiful and thriving city, until 1968. I thank God my parents had the foresight to sell our home and their businesses and move us out to AZ in '68. Did you happen to see any schools, parks or restaurants open on your tour?
Most, if not all gary schools got shut down. Most small family own restaurants stayed in business and are widely considered to be the best in Chicagoland.
Ironic, I was born and raised in AZ and am now looking for options to move back east because its become to expensive too live here and there are too many people with too high a crime rate. Plus its too hot.
@@sergeantseven4240 Haha, I get it. AZ is much, much different than when we moved there in '68. In fact, I no longer live there. I just know Gary and Chicago are NOT the place to start over.
What happened in ‘68?