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Gary, Indiana

Gary, Indiana

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Gary is a city in Lake County
Lake County, Indiana
Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. In 2000, its population was 484,564, making it Indiana's second-most populous county. The county seat is Crown Point. This county is part of Northwest Indiana and the Chicago metropolitan area....

, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a U.S. state, the 19th admitted to the Union. It is located in the Great Lakes region, and with approximately 6.3 million residents, is ranked 16th in population and 17th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area, and is the...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...

. The population was 102,746 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-Second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

, making it the fifth largest city in the state. Gary was once the second largest city in Indiana, behind Indianapolis, a position now held by Fort Wayne. It borders Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, and the only one located entirely within the United States. The second largest of the Great Lakes by volume The third largest of the Great Lakes by surface area , it is bounded, from west to east, by the U.S. states of Wisconsin,...

 and has large steel mill
Steel mill
A steel mill is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process...

s. One study rates it the second-most liberal city in the United States, behind Detroit
Detroit
Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...

. Gary is the birthplace of the Jackson family.

History



The city was founded in 1906 by the United States Steel Corporation as the home for its new plant. The city was named after the chairman of U.S. Steel, Elbert H. Gary
Elbert Henry Gary
Elbert Henry Gary was an American lawyer and corporate officer. He was a key founder of U.S. Steel in 1901, bringing together partners J. P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, and Charles M. Schwab. The city of Gary, Indiana, a steel town, was named for him when it was founded in 1906...

.

Among U.S. cities with a population of 100,000 or more, Gary has the highest percentage of African-American residents (as of the 2000 U.S. census). Gary had one of the nation's first African-American mayors, Richard G. Hatcher
Richard G. Hatcher
Richard G. Hatcher became on January 1, 1967, the first African-American mayor of Gary, Indiana. He had won election the previous November as one of the first black mayors elected in a northern industrial city and the first in the state of Indiana.Hatcher earned his B.S. from Indiana University in...

, and hosted the ground-breaking 1972 National Black Political Convention. At the same time, Gary suffered from many affluent and middle-class residents leaving Gary and relocating to the surrounding towns and cities
White flight
White flight is the sociologic and demographic term denoting the trend wherein white people flee desegregated urban communities, and move to other places like commuter towns; although an American coinage, “white flight” denotes like behavior in other countries. In the U.S. the Brown v...

. Because of the loss of jobs in the city, many people left the area altogether for regions with employment.

Gary's fortunes have risen and fallen with those of the steel industry. In the 1960s, like many other American urban centers, Gary entered a downward spiral of decline. Gary's decline was brought on by the growing competitiveness in the steel industry, which had caused U.S. Steel
U.S. Steel
The United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. The company is the world's tenth largest steel producer ranked by sales...

 to layoff many workers from the Gary area. Crime increased, including use and trade in illegal drugs under the supervision of crime lord James T. Molloy.

U.S. Steel continues to be a major steel producer, but with only a fraction of its former level of employment. While Gary has failed to reestablish a manufacturing base since its population peak, two casinos opened along the Gary lakeshore in the 1990s. Today, Gary faces numerous difficulties, including unemployment, major economic problems, and a high rate of crime, though the city has made some progress in addressing these issues since the 1990s.

Meredith Willson
Meredith Willson
Robert Meredith Willson was an American composer, songwriter, conductor and playwright best known for writing the book, music and lyrics for the hit Broadway musical The Music Man, which won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1958...

's 1957 Broadway musical The Music Man
The Music Man
The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson. The show is based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping...

featured the song, Gary, Indiana, describing Gary Conservatory as the alleged alma mater of lead character Professor Harold Hill ("Gary Music Conservatory, Class of '05!"). The joke in Hill's claim, of course, is that the City of Gary wasn't founded until 1906. Wilson's musical, set in 1912, later was the basis of a film (1962) and a made-for-television film (2003).

Parts of the never-completed Chicago – New York Electric Air Line Railroad were built in the vicinity of Gary and used as interurban transport.

Recent history


Three-term Democratic Mayor Scott King resigned from office in March, 2006, citing a desire to return to private law practice. Then-deputy mayor and former Calumet Township Trustee Dozier T. Allen Jr. became acting mayor, pending a formal election by local Democratic party officials. On April 4, 2006, local officials chose former Lake County Commissioner and King rival Rudolph Clay to fill the remaining 21 months of King's term.

The Gary Chicago International Airport has recently secured nearly 100 million dollars
United States dollar
The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States. The U.S. dollar is normally abbreviated as the dollar sign, $, or as USD or US$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies and from others that use the $ symbol. It is divided into 100 cents .The U.S...

 in grants and private donations. The FAA approved GYY's master plan which includes the expansion of runways, land acquistition for a larger terminal, an integrated transportation center, and provision for a third runway. The first part of the plan requires that the EJ&E
Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway
The Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway is a Class II railroad that operates in the suburbs surrounding Chicago. The railroad is a link between Class I railroads in northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana...

 line, which runs at the end of the runway, be relocated.

Gary was rated the 17th most dangerous city in the United States according to Morgan Quitno
Morgan Quitno
Morgan Quitno Press is a research and publishing company based in Lawrence, Kansas. They compile books with statistics of crime rates, health care, education, and other categories, ranking cities and states in the United States...

's 2007 analysis of crime rates (City Crime Rankings, 14th Edition), down from 10th highest in the 2006 edition. This is indicative of the progress Gary has made in reducing crime since the 1990s. The city recorded 51 homicides in 2006, a 13.5 percent decrease from the previous year. In 2007, Gary had 71 homicides — almost a 40 percent increase over 2006.

Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas , with a population of 1,279,910, is the third-largest city in Texas and the 8th-largest in the United States. The city is the main economic center of the 12-county Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area that according to the March 2009 U.S. Census Bureau release, had a population of...

-based HomeVestors of America released their "Top 10 Markets for Real Estate Investing" list on December 9, 2006. Gary earned the number one position on this list, which represents activity of investors who purchase homes below market and then sell. Also, Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, Forbes magazine, is published fortnightly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published fortnightly, and Business Week...

Magazine recently listed Gary 39th on their Top 100 Best Cities for Jobs in 2008. The ranking was up from 89th in 2006 and 84th in 2007.

In March, 2008 the Chief of Police, Deputy Chief and a police sergeant were all indicted by the federal court for violating the civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights and freedoms that protect individuals from unwarranted government action and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression....

 of a Gary resident.

After celebrating its 100th year in 2006, the city of Gary finally shows evidence of rebound from years of economic depression. Many buildings that have been left vacant for years are now finally slated for demolition and development. Many new homes have been built through the HOPE VI
HOPE VI
HOPE VI is a major HUD plan meant to revitalize the worst public housing projects into mixed-income developments. Its philosophy is largely based on New Urbanism and the concept of Defensible space....

 grant from HUD
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known by as HUD, is a Cabinet department in the Executive branch of the United States federal government...

. In 2009, the old town section of the city, still littered with deteriorating buildings and roads which have not been occupied or used for three decades, was featured in episode 2 of The History Channel
The History Channel
History, formerly known as The History Channel, is an international satellite and cable TV channel that broadcasts programs regarding historical events and persons, as well as various metaphysical, pseudoscientific, and paranormal phenomena—-often with observations and explanations by noted...

's series Life After People
Life After People: The Series
Life After People: The Series is a 10-part documentary television mini-series that premiered on April 21, 2009 on the History Channel. The program is a spin-off of the documentary film Life After People. The series features material not previously mentioned in the original documentary film.The...

, as an example of how quickly Chicago might deteriorate after human beings had vanished off of Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun. It is the fifth largest of the eight planets in the solar system, and the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in terms of diameter, mass and density...

, thanks largely to the effects of Lake Michigan on steel and reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which steel reinforcement bars , plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen a material that would otherwise be brittle.-History:...

 structures.

Geography


According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...

, the city has a total area of 57.2 square miles (148.3 km²), of which, 50.2 square miles (130.1 km²) of it is land and 7.0 square miles (18.2 km²) of it (12.25%) is water. The city sits on the southern end of the former lake bed of the prehistoric Lake Chicago
Lake Chicago
Lake Chicago was a prehistoric proglacial lake that is the ancestor of what is now known as Lake Michigan, one of North America's five Great Lakes.- Origin :...

, and the current Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, and the only one located entirely within the United States. The second largest of the Great Lakes by volume The third largest of the Great Lakes by surface area , it is bounded, from west to east, by the U.S. states of Wisconsin,...

. Most of the city's soil nearly one foot below the surface is pure sand. The sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.As the term is used by geologists, sand particles range in diameter from 0.0625 to 2 millimeters. An individual particle in this range size is termed a sand grain...

 beneath Gary, and on its beaches, is of such high quality that in years past it was mined for the manufacture of glass
Glass
In general Glass refers to a solid, brittle, transparent material, commonly used for windows, bottles, or eyewear. Examples of glassy materials include, but are not limited to, soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, acrylic glass, sugar glass, Muscovy-glass, or aluminium oxynitride. The term glass...

.

Gary is "T" shaped, with its northern border on Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, and the only one located entirely within the United States. The second largest of the Great Lakes by volume The third largest of the Great Lakes by surface area , it is bounded, from west to east, by the U.S. states of Wisconsin,...

. At the Northwesternmost section Gary borders Hammond
Hammond, Indiana
Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 83,048 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....

 and East Chicago. Miller Beach, its easternmost neighborhood, borders Lake Station
Lake Station, Indiana
Lake Station is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 13,948 at the 2000 census.-History:An early depot stop on the Michigan Central Railroads Detroit to Chicago line through the Calumet region, the village was first named when George Earle mapped out a town of about in...

 and Portage
Portage, Indiana
Portage is a city in Portage Township, Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 36,505 as of the 2007 Population Estimates issued by the United States Census Bureau...

. Gary's southernmost section borders Hobart
Hobart, Indiana
Hobart is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 25,363 at the 2000 census.The city is pronounced by locals as Ho-bert instead of Ho-bart, which is how many people not from the area mistakenly pronounce it.-Geography:...

 and Merrillville
Merrillville, Indiana
Merrillville is a town in Ross Township, Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 30,560 at the 2000 census. Merrillville is located in the east-central portion of Lake County.-Geography:Merrillville is located at ....

.

Neighborhoods


Aetna is located on Gary's far east side along the Dunes Highway. Aetna predates the city of Gary. It was a company town founded in 1881 by the Aetna Powder Works, an explosives company. The Town of Aetna was annexed in 1928 around the same time Gary annexed the Town of Miller. A building boom happened shortly afterward in the late 1920's and early 1930s making Aetna home to an impressive collection of art deco
Art Deco
Art Deco was a popular international art design movement from 1925 until the 1940s, affecting the decorative arts such as architecture, interior design, and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as fashion, painting, the graphic arts, and film...

 architecture. The rest of the community was built through out the 1950s after the Korean War in a series of phases. The eastern edge of Aetna is marked by wilderness and borders Miller Beach and the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is a U.S. National Lakeshore located in northwest Indiana and managed by the National Park Service. It was authorized by Congress in 1966. The national lakeshore runs for nearly 25 miles along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, from Gary, Indiana, on the west to...

.

Ambridge is located on Gary's near west side along 5th Avenue. Ambridge was developed for workers at the nearby steel plant in the 1910s and 1920s, and is named after the American Bridge Works, which was a subsidiary of U.S. Steel. The neighborhood is home to a huge stock of prairie style and art deco homes. The Gary Masonic Temple is located in the neighborhood along with the Ambassador Apartment building. Located just south of Interstate 90
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels U.S. Route 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, Washington, at 4th Avenue S. next to Safeco Field and Qwest Field, and its eastern terminus...

, the neighborhood can be seen while passing Buchanan Street.

Black Oak is located on the far southwest side of Gary, in the vicinity of the Burr Street exit to the Borman Expressway
Borman Expressway
The Frank Borman Expressway is an east-west highway in northwest portion of the U.S. state of Indiana named after astronaut and former Eastern Airlines CEO Frank Borman. It consists of parts of Interstate 80, Interstate 94, and U.S. Highway 6, as well as a short section of U.S. Highway 41...

. It was annexed in the 1970s. Prior to that, Black Oak was associated with Hammond
Hammond, Indiana
Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 83,048 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....

, and the area has Hammond telephone numbers. The community was convinced by Mayor Hatcher that its residents would benefit from better services, provided by the city, than those provided by the county.

Brunswick is located on Gary's far west side. The neighborhood is located just south of Interstate 90
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels U.S. Route 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, Washington, at 4th Avenue S. next to Safeco Field and Qwest Field, and its eastern terminus...

 and can be seen from the expressway. The Brunswick area includes the old Tri-City Plaza shopping center on West 5th Avenue (U.S. 20). The area is south of the Gary Chicago International Airport.

Concord is located on westside of Gary located between Burr st. and Clark Road. it's one of the smaller neighborhoods in the city.

Interstate 90
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels U.S. Route 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, Washington, at 4th Avenue S. next to Safeco Field and Qwest Field, and its eastern terminus...

 divides downtown Gary from the United States Steel Plant. Downtown Gary was developed in the 1920s and houses several pieces of impressive architecture, including several structures designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 projects, which resulted in more than 500 completed works....

. A new office building was constructed in the downtown in recent years, as was a new baseball stadium for the Gary SouthShore RailCats
Gary SouthShore RailCats
The Gary SouthShore RailCats are a professional baseball team based in Gary, Indiana, in the United States. The RailCats are a member of the Northern League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From the 2002 season to the present, the RailCats have played their home games at the U.S...

. A significant number of older structures have been demolished in recent years, but a number of abandoned buildings remain in the downtown area, including historic structures like Gary's Union Station
Union Station (Gary, Indiana)
A Union Station was erected just four years after the city of Gary was founded. In 1910 Union Station was built between the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern and Baltimore & Ohio lines. The station was built between the elevated lines of these railroads. Built in a Beaux Arts style ut utilize the...

 and City Methodist Church.

Glen Park is located on Gary's south side, made up mostly of mid-twentieth century houses. Glen Park is divided from the remainder of the city by the Borman Expressway. The northern portion of Glen Park is home to Gary's Gleason Park Golf Course and the campus of Indiana University Northwest
Indiana University Northwest
Indiana University Northwest is a regional university campus in the Indiana University system located in Gary, Indiana.-College, Schools, and Divisions:...

. The far western portion of Glen Park is home to the Village Shopping Center.

Glen Ryan is a subdivision located on Gary's far east side along the Dunes Highway north of the South Shore Rail Road. The subdivision was built in phases between the late 1950s to the mid 1960's. The eastern edge of Glen Ryan is boardered by Miller Beach and the southern edge is boardered by Aetna.

Ivanhoe was a housing project located on Gary's west side along 11th Avenue west of Chase Street. Closed in the summer of 1965, the facility was "sealed off" by a chain link fence.

Marshalltown is a subdivision located on Gary's east side along Central Avenue and 21st Avenue to the east of Martin Luther King Drive. It was developed in the mid 1950's.

Midtown is located to the south of Downtown Gary, along Broadway.

Miller Beach
Miller Beach
Miller Beach, or Miller, is a neighborhood of Gary, Indiana. It was a small town which was annexed into the municipal boundaries of Gary. The area comprising the former town's territory is situated on the southern shore of Lake Michigan, bordering Porter County to the east, Interstate 65 to the...

also known through the years as Miller Station or just simply as Miller, is on Gary's far east side. The Town of Miller predated the city of Gary by more than half a century, however Miller was forcibly annexed by the city of Gary in the early 1920s. Miller developed around the old stagecoach stop and train station known, as early as the 1840s, as Miller's Junction. Miller Town Hall stands on the corner of Grand Boulevard and Miller Avenue at Old Hobart Road. The Historic Miller Schoolhouse, no longer used, still stands in Miller on Lake Street near the Miller South Shore train station.

Tarrytown is a subdivision located on Gary's west side between Whitcomb Street and Clark Road.

Tolleston is one of Gary's oldest neighborhoods, predating much of the rest of the city. It was named for an old settlement along the railroads of the area. The area is to the west of downtown Gary and south of the Ambridge area.

Westbrook is an apartment complex on the west side of the city between Taft and Chase Streets, adjacent to the old Pennsylvania Railroad tracks, and the neighborhood surrounding that complex. It lies to the north of Tolleston.

Climate


In July and August, the warmest months, high temperatures average 84 °F (29 °C) and peak just above 100 °F (38 °C) and low temperatures average 63 °F (17 °C). In January and February, the coldest months, high temperatures average around 29 °F (-2 °C) and low temperatures average 13 °F (-11 °C), with at least a few days of temperatures dipping below 0 °F (-18 °C). The weather of Gary is greatly regulated by its proximity to Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, and the only one located entirely within the United States. The second largest of the Great Lakes by volume The third largest of the Great Lakes by surface area , it is bounded, from west to east, by the U.S. states of Wisconsin,...

, as it sits at the lake's southernmost point. Weather varies yearly. Tornadoes strike annually, though the city has generally avoided major damage. In summer months Gary is humid. The city's yearly precipitation averages about 40 inches. Summer is the rainiest season, with rainfall of short duration and very loud, drawn-out thunderstorms. Winters vary but are predominantly snowy with regular blizzards. Snowfall in Gary can average 24 to 36 inches per winter, but sometimes large blizzards hit because of "lake effect snow
Lake effect snow
Lake-effect snow is produced in the winter when cold winds move across long expanses of warmer lake water, providing energy and picking up water vapor which freezes and is deposited on the windward shores. The same effect over bodies of salt water is called ocean effect snow, sea effect snow, or...

," a phenomenon wherein large amounts of water evaporated from the lake deposits onto the shoreline areas inordinate amounts of snow.

Demographics


As of the census
Census
A "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...

of 2000, there were 102,746 people, 38,244 households, and 25,623 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....

 was 2,045.5 people per square mile (789.8/km²). There were 43,630 housing units at an average density of 868.6/sq mi (335.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.03% African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa. In the United States, the terms are generally used for Americans with at least partial Sub-Saharan African ancestry...

, 11.92% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.21% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.14% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.02% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 1.97% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 1.71% from two or more races. 4.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 of any race.

There were 38,244 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...

 living together, 30.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.28.

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

The median income for a household in the city was $27,195, and the median income for a family was $32,205. Males had a median income of $34,992 versus $24,432 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...

 for the city was $14,383. About 22.2% of families and 25.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.9% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.

Media

  • Newspapers — Gary is served by two major newspapers based outside the city, as well as a Gary-based, largely African-American interest paper. These papers provide regional topics, and cover events in Gary.
    • Post-Tribune
      Post-Tribune
      The Post-Tribune of Northwest Indiana is a daily newspaper headquartered in Merrillville, Indiana, United States. It serves the Northwest Indiana region, and is owned by the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:...

      , which was originally located in Gary. Offices and facilities for the Post-Tribune are now based in Merrillville, a suburb of Gary.
    • The Times
      The Times of Northwest Indiana
      The Times of Northwest Indiana is a daily newspaper headquartered in Munster, Indiana. The Times is the second largest of Indiana's 76 daily newspapers, The Indianapolis Star being the largest...

      , previously known as the Hammond Times. Offices and facilities for The Times are in nearby Munster
      Munster, Indiana
      Munster is a town located in the North Township, Lake County, in Northwest Indiana in the United States. This town lies in the Chicago metropolitan area, colloquially known as Chicagoland...

      .
    • The Gary Crusader, based in Gary and largely focused on black or African-American interests and readership.
    • The Chicago Tribune
      Chicago Tribune
      The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company...

       and the Chicago Sun-Times
      Chicago Sun-Times
      The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is owned by the Sun-Times Media Group, which filed for bankruptcy protection on March 31, 2009.-History:...

       are also prevalent in Gary.

  • Broadcast — Gary is served by five local broadcasters plus government access and numerous Chicago area radio and TV stations, and by other nearby stations in Illinois and Indiana.
    • W18AT (Channel 18) a repeater
      Repeater
      A repeater is an electronic device that receives asignal and retransmits it at a higher level and/or higher power, or onto the other side of an obstruction, so that the signal can cover longer distances.-Description:...

       of LeSEA
      LeSEA
      LeSEA Broadcasting , also known as World Harvest Television, is an American Christian television network with over 40 affiliate stations in a number of U.S...

      's WHME
      WHME-TV
      WHME-TV is a full-service Christian and general entertainment television station serving the South Bend market. The station is owned by LeSEA Broadcasting, also known as World Harvest Broadcasting, an organization founded by Assembly of God minister Lester Sumrall , whose sons are still active with...

       in South Bend
      South Bend, Indiana
      South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total of 107,789 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...

      .
    • WPWR
      WPWR-TV
      WPWR-TV, channel 50, is a MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station licensed to Gary, Indiana, and serving the Chicago, Illinois area. WPWR-TV is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox network outlet WFLD-TV...

       (Channel 50) is the Chicago My Network TV affiliate, but is licensed to Gary. Studios and transmitters are co-located with WFLD's in Chicago, and like WFLD, WPWR is owned by Fox Television Stations.
    • WYIN
      WYIN
      WYIN is a public television station in Gary, Indiana, serving the Indiana side of the Chicago, Illinois market on channel 56 as a PBS member station. Transmitting from Cedar Lake, Indiana, and with studios and offices in Merrillville, Indiana, the station offers educational programs, sports and...

       (Channel 56) is a PBS affiliate licensed to Gary. Their studios are in Merrillville.
    • WGVE
      WGVE
      WGVE-FM is a FM Station broadcasting on 88.7 MHz in Gary, Indiana. It is owned and operated by Gary Community School Corporation. WGVE signed on in 1954. Originally located at Lew Wallace High School. It moved to its current location in the Gary Area Career Center in 1969. The station's current...

       (FM 88.7) is owned by the Gary Community School Corporation
      Gary Community School Corporation
      Gary Community School Corporation serves most students who reside in Gary, Indiana, United States.-School Uniforms:All GCSC students from pre-Kindergarten through the 12 grade are required to wear school uniforms...

      , and is used primarily as a teaching facility. Programming is maintained by students in the broadcast program at the Gary Career Center. WGVE also carries limited NPR programming.
    • WLTH
      WLTH
      WLTH is an AM Station broadcasting on 1370 kHz in Gary, Indiana east of the Chicago metropolitan area. It is owned by Pluria Marshall Jr. The station's current format is African-American Talk Radio....

       (AM 1370) carries syndicated talk programming, and is owned by Pluria Marshall Jr.
    • WWCA
      WWCA
      WWCA is a radio station in Gary, Indiana. It is part of the Relevant Radio Christian network.-History:Radio station WWCA, an ABC Radio affiliate in Gary, IN, experienced its peak in popularity during the 1960s and 1970s primarily because of its community commitment and the popularity of its on-air...

       (AM 1270) is presently a Relevant Radio
      Relevant Radio
      Relevant Radio is a trademark of Starboard Media Foundation, and is the largest Catholic talk radio network in the United States, with 20 stations and 18 affiliates in 15 states...

       owned-and-operated radio station, carrying programming from the Catholic-oriented Relevant Radio network.

Sports



The following sports franchises are based in Gary:
  • The Gary SouthShore RailCats
    Gary SouthShore RailCats
    The Gary SouthShore RailCats are a professional baseball team based in Gary, Indiana, in the United States. The RailCats are a member of the Northern League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From the 2002 season to the present, the RailCats have played their home games at the U.S...

     are a Northern League
    Northern League (baseball)
    The Northern League, based in Chicago, is an independent baseball league which operates in the Northern United States and the Canadian province of Manitoba, affiliated with neither Major League Baseball nor the organized minor leagues....

    , professional baseball
    Professional baseball
    Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system.-North America:...

     team. The team plays in Gary's U.S. Steel Yard
    U.S. Steel Yard
    U.S. Steel Yard is an open-air baseball park stadium located in Gary, Indiana. It is home to the Gary SouthShore RailCats, a professional baseball team and member of the Northern League. It currently holds 6,000 people. It is also the home of other Little League Baseball games as well as high...

     baseball stadium. The RailCats were the 2005 and 2007 Northern League Champions.

  • The Gary Steelheads
    Gary Steelheads
    The Gary Steelheads are a professional basketball team that plays in the International Basketball League. In the past they played in the International Basketball League, Continental Basketball Association, and the United States Basketball League. They are based in Gary, Indiana. They play their...

    , are an International Basketball League
    International Basketball League
    The International Basketball League was a short lived professional basketball league in the United States. The IBL was headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. The league started in 1999 and ended in 2001.- History :...

    , professional basketball team that has played in the IBL, CBA
    Continental Basketball Association
    The Continental Basketball Association is a professional men's basketball league in the United States. It is affiliated with USA Basketball, the sport's governing body in the United States.- History :...

     and USBL. The team plays in Gary's Genesis Convention Center
    Genesis Convention Center
    The Genesis Convention Center is a 7,000 seat multi-purpose arena located in Gary, Indiana, United States. It is home to the Gary Steelheads of the International Basketball League. It has also held the Miss USA Pagent twice, in 2001 and 2002....

    .

  • On August 3, 1956, Willie J. Williams broke Jesse Owens' 20-year-old World's Record in the 100 meter dash. This feat was accomplished after Williams was injured in the 1956 Olympic Trials while participating in an International World Military Track competition. In addition to breaking Jesse Owens' record, Williams did so on the same track and on the same date. Jesse Owens won four gold medals in 1936 while defying Hitler in Berlin's stadium. In the process of breaking the World's Record, Williams also defeated another gold medal Olympian, Ira Murchison.


This information is documented in the 1958 World Book Encyclopedia.

Primary and secondary schools


There are three school districts serving the city as well as multiple charter schools located within the city.

Most public schools in Gary are administered by the Gary Community School Corporation
Gary Community School Corporation
Gary Community School Corporation serves most students who reside in Gary, Indiana, United States.-School Uniforms:All GCSC students from pre-Kindergarten through the 12 grade are required to wear school uniforms...

. The other public schools within the city are administered by Lake Ridge Schools Corporation
Lake Ridge Schools Corporation
Lake Ridge Schools Corporation is based in unincorporated Lake County, Indiana, United States and serves students within the unincorporated sections of the Calumet Township and portions of Gary.-Middle schools:*...

. Some Gary residents in the outskirts attend schools administered by the River Forest Community School Corporation
River Forest Community School Corporation
River Forest Community School Corporation is a school district headquartered in New Chicago, Indiana, United States. The district serves New Chicago, portions of Lake Station, portions of Hobart, unincorporated sections of Lake County, and portions of Gary....

.

Gary Charter Schools
Gary Charter Schools
Gary Charter Schools serve students who reside in Gary, Indiana, United States. Though operated by different corporations, all current charter schools in Gary are sponsored by Ball State University.- See also :*Gary Community School Corporation...

 operates several charter schools.

Higher education


Gary is home to two regional state college campuses:
  • Indiana University Northwest
    Indiana University Northwest
    Indiana University Northwest is a regional university campus in the Indiana University system located in Gary, Indiana.-College, Schools, and Divisions:...

  • Ivy Tech Community College Northwest
    Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana
    Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana is Indiana's only community college system, encompassing 23 campuses in 14 regions...


Public libraries


The Gary Public Library System consists of the main library at 220 West 5th Avenue and several branches: Brunswick Branch, W. E. B. DuBois Branch, J. F. Kennedy Branch, Tolleston Branch, and Ora L. Wildermuth Branch. Lake County Public Library operates the Black Oak Branch at 5921 West 25th Avenue in the Gary city limits. In addition Indiana University Northwest
Indiana University Northwest
Indiana University Northwest is a regional university campus in the Indiana University system located in Gary, Indiana.-College, Schools, and Divisions:...

 operates the Indiana University Northwest Library on its campus.

Transportation

  • NICTD (Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District) operates the South Shore Line
    South Shore Line (NICTD)
    |}The South Shore Line is an electrically powered interurban commuter rail line operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District between Millennium Station in downtown Chicago and the South Bend Regional Airport in South Bend, Indiana...

    , a commuter rail system (one of the United States' last original operating interurban railway systems), running between Chicago
    Chicago
    Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...

     and South Bend
    South Bend, Indiana
    South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total of 107,789 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...

    .

  • GPTC (Gary Public Transportation Corporation
    Gary Public Transportation Corporation
    The Gary Public Transportation Corporation is a commuter bus system in Gary, Indiana that offers service to numerous stops throughout the city and neighboring suburbs. GPTC also has express service to locations in Hammond and East Chicago...

    ) a commuter bus system that offers service to numerous stops throughout the city and neighboring suburbs. GPTC also has express service to locations outside of the city including connections to Chicago transit. Front door pickup is available for disabled citizens at no extra cost.

  • GYY (Gary/Chicago International Airport
    Gary/Chicago International Airport
    Gary/Chicago International Airport is a public airport located three miles northwest of the central business district of Gary, a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The airport, which serves the Chicago metropolitan area, is 25 miles southeast of the Chicago Loop...

    ) is operating as the "third airport" for the Chicago area. It is currently undergoing much federally funded expansion, and the administration is courting airlines aggressively. Boeing
    Boeing
    The Boeing Company is a major aerospace and defense corporation, founded by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Its international headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois, since 2001...

     already bases their corporate fleets here. The National Guard
    United States National Guard
    The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States...

     is intending to base their Chicago area air operation there as well, which would add much needed security to the airport, taking away some of the stigma of an airport in Gary.

  • Interstate 90
    Interstate 90
    Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels U.S. Route 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, Washington, at 4th Avenue S. next to Safeco Field and Qwest Field, and its eastern terminus...

     (Indiana Toll Road
    Indiana Toll Road
    The Indiana Toll Road, officially the Indiana East-West Toll Road is a 157 mile toll road that runs east-west across northern Indiana from the Illinois state line to the Ohio state line...

    ), Interstate 80
    Interstate 80
    Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States . It connects downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, a suburb of New York City. I-80 is the interstate that most closely approximates the route of the Lincoln Highway, the first auto trail to cross the...

    , Interstate 94
    Interstate 94
    Interstate 94 is the northernmost east-west Interstate Highway, connecting the Great Lakes and Intermountain regions of the United States. Its western terminus is in Billings, Montana at a junction with Interstate 90; its eastern terminus is the U.S...

    , and Interstate 65
    Interstate 65
    Interstate 65 is a major Interstate Highway in the United States. The southern terminus is located at an intersection with Interstate 10 in Mobile, Alabama, and its northern terminus is at a traffic light with U.S. Route 12 and U.S...

     run through Gary, as well as U.S. Routes 12
    U.S. Route 12
    U.S. Route 12 or US 12 is an east-west United States highway, running from Grays Harbor on the Pacific Ocean, in the state of Washington, to downtown Detroit, for almost 2500 miles...

     and 20
    U.S. Route 20
    U.S. Route 20 is an east-west United States highway. As the "0" in its route number implies, U.S. 20 is a coast-to-coast route; however, because national park roads do not have signage for U.S. numbered highways, a gap exists through Yellowstone National Park and splits the route into two sections...

    , Indiana State Road 912/Cline Avenue
    Indiana State Road 912
    State Road 912, known along its entire length as Cline Avenue, SR 912 is a freeway north of the Borman Expressway , and a local access road serving Griffith south of the Borman. The portion of Cline Avenue marked as SR 912 is long. Indiana 912 can be considered a child route of U.S...

     and a former stretch of Indiana State Road 312
    Indiana State Road 312
    State Road 312 in the U.S. state of Indiana is an east-west state highway in the northwestern part of the state.-Route description:State Road 312 runs from the Illinois state line east to SR 912 in East Chicago. At one point, it used to continue for less than a mile east of SR 912 to end at U.S....

     now decommissioned.

See also


  • Chicago Metropolitan Area
  • Northern Indiana
    Northern Indiana
    Northern Indiana is the region of Indiana including 26 counties bordering parts of Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio. The area is generally sub-classified into other regions. The northwest is economically and culturally intertwined with Chicago, and is considered part of the Chicago metropolitan area...

  • the Jackson family

External links