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Gary, Indiana

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Taylor 26-Jan-2010 03:57
That's right. Gary is a great city, and truthfully, it can be beautiful. I especially love the old Gary Bathing Beach building, and the low avenues of the downtown with the soft streetlights and remodeled buildings. YES, not ALL of Gary is dilapidated.
It has a strong history. Gary has people that love it, but a government that wants to suck the city dry.
I live in Portage (and sometimes I'm in DeMotte, a 98% white town), and my mom was part of the big "white flight" from Gary to Merrillville back in the 70s. Unfortunately, because I'm white I really can't live anywhere in Gary safely, since I'm not rich and can't afford to live in Miller Beach...Portage is as close as I can get, and honestly, Portage doesn't really have anything beautiful to it.
Maybe sometime soon, Gary will be clean again, and when the crime is down businesses can move back in, and eventually, it'll once again be a beautiful "Steel City" on the lake, and Northwest Indiana can be proud of having Gary as a place to go, and not a place to joke about or run from.
Guest 30-Dec-2009 04:56
By the way, young person, I spell very well but, I'm trying to get used to this technology but, We had some great teachers and, People such as Mr. Tatum, (Do you remember him? The very best of " Velt", right?!! Tell me what you remember?
Guest 05-Dec-2009 18:43
I work in the city of Gary everyday on a federal task force trying to fight crime in this city. There are some truly great people struggling to make it everyday it is the few gangsters and criminals that have overtaken the city. When you look at the current lack of leadership in city government starting with the walking joke called Rudy Clay it is never going to get any better. Just the fact that they have had "6" police chiefs in the last 3 1/2 years speaks volumes about the lack of leadership in the Mayors office. I have believe that until the elected officials stop stealing the taxpayers blind and they elect some honest people to run this place it is only going to get worse. And that is sad for all of the good folks that are left to live in this.
Guest 20-Nov-2009 05:43
Wow I am doing a project on Gary and I stumbled upon this webpage. Does everyone from Gary spell as well as I have seen on this page?
Raymond 07-Oct-2009 02:20
I gre up in Gary. Born 1945, lots of sand dunes to play in, railroad tracks to walk down. The schools, Lincoln Elementary, The "Velt" and, Froebel. I left in 1968 after my tour in The Navy. Things had changed. This was back in 1967-68.I still love my home town and, I agree with Dre. We've got,(Black People), to make the change, start our own industrie, busnesses, ect.
Guest 22-Sep-2009 09:11
Someone posted earlier 'don't judge a city until you come here," take my advice, I live here, DON'T COME HERE!
Guest 22-Sep-2009 09:07
I live in Gary, and do drive through this city every day. Yep, it's a shithole. But the ironic thing is that 90% of the people are great folks. The other 10% bring this city to it's knees.
Marta 06-Aug-2009 10:41
Isn`t a place where Michael Jackson was born? This is absolutely the greatest place in the world! Please- dont forget about it... all the best from Poland. We miss him alot! Bless you all!!
nancy 28-Jul-2009 17:40
monique jacobs... your a liar if that did happen you are not on the police blotter or make a reportand like the other people that down Gary. Yeah this city has problems like other cities but it is growing and will proper onece again. I wouldnt want a fabricator like you living here anyway
angie 22-Jul-2009 00:57
My name is Angie underwood I live in Gary althought Gary has its issues other cities have the same.We just need to put more effort in to our city dont just blame it on the mayor what about the companies that move to merrillville and other cities instead of your own community it will take some time but Gary will come back.and not just because of MJ.but because of people like myself who want to help not just complain.
Guest 17-Jul-2009 05:32
I love Gary. I was born and raised in Gary. It will prosper once again!
Guest 07-Jul-2009 14:13
Gary is sorry azz hell. I moved there in 2008 my house was robbed twice in one week. And go figure I lived right up the street from the police station. It was robbed both time in broad daylight might I add on Memorial Day and no one saw nothing. My kids almost got jumped on cause they beat some kids playing basketball. This is a terrible place to raise kids. So then I moved to another side of gary and it was a damn shoot out right in front of my house. Now I know every town have bad areas but damn. Ive never in my life seen so many abandon buildings and houses in my life. The police dont help when u need them but they kept harassing me about my damn dog. I would never go back to this place cause I would be in jail somewhere.
Guest 21-Jun-2009 21:36
Im from chicago the only time I would go to Indiana was to get cigarettes and Gas you can't pay me to cross the state line.
Monique Jacobs 20-Jun-2009 07:14
My experience with Gary, In is that well it is a very bad neighborhood. I was passing by - on the road - way to New York when I got stuck near Broadway & where the 80 Freeway cross and was attacked(Raped & robbed). I don't think I will be back in that neighbor hood ever again...but I'm sure there are some good people in this town. I've had the bad luck of experience the bad ones, but when I was calling for help a friendly young man, pulled over and called and abulence & police for me. I do believe that if People - rich people would invest money in the city and if they would give job oppertunitys to all these young kids growing up there then maybe they wouldn't join gangs or wouldn't rape people like me that are on the road to east coast.
I found it very sad to see days later, when I was taken to the train stop - to see the main street with bo biz, every building was boarded up, the few store that are there had huge gates and locks to secure their property. THe building are antique and very beautifully build but someone would have to clean up the drug people, gangs and the men that attacked me.

I hope someone will do that, the city has great arcitecture. But I won't be back,holds to many bad memorys.
Glenda 12-Jun-2009 04:06
someone needs to invest some major cash in Gary. I lived there from 64 to 76 and I have lots of good memories. I wished someone would bring it back to life. It's a damm shame. Gangs, gangs. Is that all there is to life anymore? cause if It is? God help all those people with no sense. ALL YOU RICH PEOPLE NEED TO GET OFF YOUR A-- and clean it up (INVEST) you got money to burn. When you die god isn't going to ask how much money you got cause he doesn't give a s---.
jay 02-Jun-2009 19:38
gary used to be a happenin place back in the 50's and 60's, since then its gone way down hill, simply because all tha factories shut down. people say its a shit hole and all tht, but there are nice parts of gary too
dont judge a damn city until you go there and see what its like
David 21-Apr-2009 04:38
Gary still has a lot of potential for revitalization...I've just released a book documenting 7 historically significant buildings in the downtown area. If preserved these structures could add to the community's sense of identity and be enjoyed by future generations. The book is, "Gary Indiana | A City's Ruins". It contains over 80 photos and 7 building biographies.

The first 15 pages can be previewed at: hXXp://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/631597

The people of Gary deserve to have their heritage preserved! I have strong hope Gary can turn a new leaf.

-David Tribby

hXXp://www.flickr.com/photos/dtribby
Guest 20-Mar-2009 22:29
randy hunter the mayer need to help fixed gary up
Dave 12-Mar-2009 18:17
Dave is white. Dad worked at the mills all his life. Color/race has nothing to do with it, quality of life does.
Rose 03-Mar-2009 21:31
Yes ma'am. no ma'am?? ..hahaha, maybe back in the 50s, Debra! Live in the region for a week and then come back on here and post. I've lived here my whole life. Trust me, there are some verrry rude people here. Gary is the worst area to be in the region. Gary and East Chicago. Being married to a Lake County police officer, I hear some unbelievable things that go on in Gary. Come again and visit us.
Debra 03-Oct-2008 02:32
Why doess every one need to down gary...even people that are from here...my husband is from Gary and when i first went there to meet his family when i was 16 i saw how the city looked and i was in awww but i im so interested in the history behind it all. the people are well manored yes there is a high crime rate but alls u hear is yes mam no mam...and they welcome u with open arms i we got a couple dirty looks due the fact that we are a biracial couple but who cares....my husband doesnt like white people that much and even though im white haha he says this is why because white people only down blacks and doing research on this city alls i saw was white people sayn blacks made them leave...no one made u leave except ur selfs dont blame others blame urself every single person who has been here talks down about this place it is boring here but shit do sumthn about the way it looks help the community for real.
Dre' 21-Jun-2008 18:25
To people like Dave below, we're leaving Gary just to destroy another developed white city. Black people need to become more self sufficient. It makes me tired to hear blacks down Gary, then move to a white neighborhood and tear that one up over a number of years. If we can't first acknowledge our own problems, we won't be able to do better. Too many of us blacks just don't have the desire, or willpower to initiate change.

I'm not assuming you are black, but I hear way too many blacks talking that way about their hoods.
Guest 10-Nov-2007 05:32
I graduated from Lew Wallace in 66. We could actually walk all around Glen Park and never be bothered...even at night! We used to spend our summers at Miller Beach. It is so hard to see Gary like this.
Guest 27-Sep-2007 03:52
Gary has a great mayor know who knows what he is doing and i do believe that gary is going to be a great city one day
Guest 19-Aug-2007 19:08
Gary, like every other city, has nice parts and bad parts. The farther east you go towards Laporte County Gary turns into a nice rural/suburban community with victorian houses and beaches. Personally I find your photo compilation to be incomplete and biased.
ronnisha 10-Jul-2007 04:36
gary is the most bashed city on the net.,you have to be frome here i agree that a downtown repersents a city,but the families inside and beach are great if you are from there
Guest 29-Jun-2007 09:39
this is a political act, they know and see what is going on to this city. If we dont care then why should anyone else..I was born in gary, and went to M.L.King, When you mention to someone that you are from Gary,Ind. they eyes pop-up!!!! If only that can happen to give them a pic. ass if Gary was a must see city like Vegas....Please leave some for my kids to come back to. There's still a lot of good people in Gary, and taletent too Big-up to all the Paster's Bishop's Rev. Churches in G.I. If Gary,Indiana could talk she would say,"Someone Please Take Care of Me....."
Jayson 11-Apr-2007 14:29
The photos were taken in downtown Gary, Indiana. Downtowns throughout America and the world are the representation of the entire city. If residents and politicians wants the image of their city to improve then they need to improve their downtown. It doesn't matter how much sprawl a city creates, if their downtown is neglected then the image will follow suite.
Alfred 03-Apr-2007 23:37
I live in Gary and why is it that every time someone come here to take pictures they go the most delapadated part of town? Those pictures are all taken in or near the Old downtown area there are plenty of decent nice area of the city form which pictures can be taken and lot of activity and people are around. This is a damn shame that everyone wants to see us this way.
RK 17-Feb-2007 22:29
Glad to see you made back alive.
Mickey Dsteff 07-Nov-2006 02:54
I grew up in Miller Beach on the lake shore area of Gary. It's too bad you didn't have any photos from there. I do remember downtown Gary back in the 50's and into the 60's. The steel mills closed and teh town collapsed. Whites moved to the surrounding towns, Merrillville, St. John, Griffith, Highland, Crown Point, Valparasio, Portage.
Guest 07-Oct-2006 06:40
Gary, Indiana? What were you thinking.
AJKNEE 07-Aug-2006 16:54
In referance to Robert Kitay. That's what freaks me out most about Gary. I've been to Compton, East St. Louis, Gary and many other neglected areas but Gary is unique in that every time I'm there, I have not seen one person. I've been there more than a few times, somewhere in the teens, and at all times of the day. I don't know what's up with that.
Guest 28-Jun-2006 21:46
what a sh*t hole
Guest 15-Mar-2006 06:50
Who stole all the plywood and tarpaper?
Dave 15-Feb-2006 03:47
I was born and raised in Gary. You won't find me there today.
I_Spy 26-Sep-2005 16:25
Dude, this town used to look so down until they put in those new decorative street lights. Makes all the difference in your photos...and what a great use of taxpayer $$$
Robert Kitay 11-Jun-2005 22:04
Where is everyone? Not a person or car to be seen. Looks like nuclear winter or something.
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