GARY: The USA's Most Dangerous City? What I Actually Saw

Поділитися
Вставка
  • Опубліковано 1 січ 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 20 тис.

  • @dan-fr9dn
    @dan-fr9dn Рік тому +3315

    Chicago is worse then Gary. Chicago in 2021 there were 834 murders.

    • @JoeandNicsRoadTrip
      @JoeandNicsRoadTrip  Рік тому +4215

      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.

    • @Knd2424
      @Knd2424 Рік тому +653

      @@JoeandNicsRoadTrip I give you all the credit for walking through the church

    • @ralphp3057
      @ralphp3057 Рік тому +283

      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!😳

    • @alanbstard9301
      @alanbstard9301 Рік тому +2

      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

    • @tylerjones2695
      @tylerjones2695 Рік тому +8

      Democrats/communists at work and look at the thing that was installed as mayor, same thing as what was installed as mayor in DC

  • @MagnoliaHoosier
    @MagnoliaHoosier Рік тому +7989

    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.

    • @mauibuilder1239
      @mauibuilder1239 Рік тому +443

      Well you're one of the lucky ones that made it out alive. Consider yourself lucky.

    • @groovelife415
      @groovelife415 Рік тому +343

      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.

    • @robertkeiser8478
      @robertkeiser8478 Рік тому +107

      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

    • @41663
      @41663 Рік тому +205

      That is cool. There still are good people out there

    • @powertuber4.068
      @powertuber4.068 Рік тому +38

      The common thread thru all these top 10 lists is the B pop

  • @ablethetan
    @ablethetan Рік тому +6390

    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.

    • @JoeandNicsRoadTrip
      @JoeandNicsRoadTrip  Рік тому +454

      Great comment. Thank you for sharing your experiences.

    • @deeder001
      @deeder001 Рік тому +372

      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.

    • @jeffstanish5920
      @jeffstanish5920 Рік тому +89

      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............

    • @mattmason4589
      @mattmason4589 Рік тому +119

      Flint. - hold my beer

    • @Bayou_409
      @Bayou_409 Рік тому +280

      I wish you would write the story down - I'd read it. I'm curious.

  • @ichaffee1
    @ichaffee1 Рік тому +3910

    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

    • @asshat23871
      @asshat23871 Рік тому +220

      I have that feeling too. 100 years ago it was "City of the Century".

    • @stickofbutter9733
      @stickofbutter9733 Рік тому +309

      It feels like our country is generally heading in a poor direction.

    • @MichaelMitchell-dk6hj
      @MichaelMitchell-dk6hj Рік тому +367

      Well that's because of the greed in this country.

    • @thedude1982
      @thedude1982 Рік тому +259

      Build back better at its finest

    • @ionlyreplytosexproposition8972
      @ionlyreplytosexproposition8972 Рік тому

      @@thedude1982 right. because republicans notoriously put forth stellar infrastructure legistation

  • @hoosiersdf
    @hoosiersdf 12 днів тому +17

    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.

    • @debrawilkins8518
      @debrawilkins8518 4 дні тому +1

      I grew up one block from EdisonHigh School

    • @MichaelWilliams-ro9bm
      @MichaelWilliams-ro9bm 2 дні тому

      Interesting! I live in Albuquerque , New Mexico but was born in Gary! Went to Edison myself in 1951 through 1957! Great place at the time. Live in the 700 block of Ralston!
      Played baseball at the ball park there in Brunswick. Was all over that area, till my brother got asthma. Said to move out west. In 1958 we did!

  • @lashlarue7924
    @lashlarue7924 Рік тому +1517

    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! 😬

  • @MNye-sx5ke
    @MNye-sx5ke Рік тому +404

    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!

    • @AlysiaTribeca
      @AlysiaTribeca 11 місяців тому +18

      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

    • @matthewronsson
      @matthewronsson 11 місяців тому +10

      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

    • @kenaldri4923
      @kenaldri4923 11 місяців тому +5

      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.

    • @lindabradford9591
      @lindabradford9591 11 місяців тому +3

      I grew up there too. I loved it. Its so sad to see what it looks like now!

    • @user_abcxyzz
      @user_abcxyzz 11 місяців тому +7

      ​@AlysiaTribeca did you go to school with Michael Jackson

  • @Th3CrystalFox
    @Th3CrystalFox Рік тому +265

    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.

    • @ИгорьДобрынин-ч3р
      @ИгорьДобрынин-ч3р 9 місяців тому +2

      Всё верно,мой друг.Все познаётся в сравнении..

    • @kimberlybraden3209
      @kimberlybraden3209 9 місяців тому

      "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.

  • @edgarfrank5712
    @edgarfrank5712 3 місяці тому +21

    Thank you for risking your life for us to see Gary.

  • @SolSister10596
    @SolSister10596 Рік тому +474

    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.

    • @Sol-ps8ox
      @Sol-ps8ox Рік тому +1

      But on Google maps...its shows pretty good buildings and all.

    • @juliebraden6911
      @juliebraden6911 Рік тому

      @dino ooh almost

    • @murageful
      @murageful Рік тому +2

      @@juliebraden6911 my heart bled when I saw that church

    • @davidstout6051
      @davidstout6051 Рік тому +13

      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.

    • @brendacapestany2518
      @brendacapestany2518 Рік тому +3

      Well in Michigan has a no go zone. Even the police won’t go.

  • @Myn6211
    @Myn6211 Рік тому +522

    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.

    • @kentwiseman791
      @kentwiseman791 Рік тому +10

      Same here.

    • @loriepostlewaite162
      @loriepostlewaite162 Рік тому +8

      I agree

    • @epiclifesociety
      @epiclifesociety Рік тому +12

      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.

    • @MollyWarren14
      @MollyWarren14 Рік тому +4

      Trust me it does , Gary was a beautiful place in the 80's and early 90's

    • @upon-fe2720
      @upon-fe2720 Рік тому +8

      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?

  • @stevecann3394
    @stevecann3394 Рік тому +69

    First time viewer from England here...really like your documentary style, and Gary is like nothing I've ever seen. Amazing.

  • @latinwaterpoloperez
    @latinwaterpoloperez 7 місяців тому +66

    Thanks for being so brave and going into the abandoned church! Just unbelievable the state of parts of America! Sad!

    • @BCSoHappy
      @BCSoHappy 6 днів тому

      I recently read that the Church of Scotland has closed. The entire denomination, gone. It must have been sad and for this beautiful church, to be the last person to turn off the lights, so sad.

  • @namyzarc6269
    @namyzarc6269 Рік тому +213

    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.

    • @indiasuperclean6969
      @indiasuperclean6969 Рік тому +1

      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 🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳

    • @nickeyfynn3270
      @nickeyfynn3270 Рік тому +14

      ​@@indiasuperclean6969 India? Lol, you are joking.

    • @richardshiflett5181
      @richardshiflett5181 Рік тому

      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.

    • @Juck_The_Fews
      @Juck_The_Fews Рік тому +1

      @@indiasuperclean6969 kekistan sends its regards

    • @kimberlybraden3209
      @kimberlybraden3209 9 місяців тому

      "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.

  • @keichellejordan7709
    @keichellejordan7709 Рік тому +365

    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.

    • @HsnzksNxnxksn-sh7kc
      @HsnzksNxnxksn-sh7kc Рік тому +20

      You ain't listening to the statistics

    • @kellysanders7857
      @kellysanders7857 Рік тому +24

      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!

    • @mgtowcowboy8159
      @mgtowcowboy8159 Рік тому +5

      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.

    • @416Mordo
      @416Mordo Рік тому +4

      @@mgtowcowboy8159 I live in merrillville and there are nice houses by the beach in miller which is an area in Gary

    • @maryechampagne1736
      @maryechampagne1736 Рік тому

      Why isn't the blight of Gary torn down and a brand new Gary resurrected?

  • @prfinest07
    @prfinest07 Рік тому +76

    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

    • @devadii24
      @devadii24 Рік тому +6

      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

    • @leer798
      @leer798 Рік тому +12

      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.

    • @stacyrussell460
      @stacyrussell460 7 місяців тому +2

      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.

    • @morava122
      @morava122 7 місяців тому +1

      Lee R 👍👍👍👍

    • @bobbybob3865
      @bobbybob3865 3 місяці тому

      Send as much money as you can to Donald Trump. (He won't send it to other countries. He'll keep it for himself.)

  • @RuthMathew-dz7fl
    @RuthMathew-dz7fl 13 днів тому +5

    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.

  • @omisan771
    @omisan771 Рік тому +804

    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!".

    • @Shademastermcc
      @Shademastermcc Рік тому +271

      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.

    • @desecration171
      @desecration171 Рік тому

      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.

    • @naturequeene132
      @naturequeene132 Рік тому +59

      ⁠@@Shademastermcc those are such good points. I don’t think I would’ve thought of that.

    • @KoalaAquatics
      @KoalaAquatics Рік тому +16

      Yes like mr magoriums wonder emporium! The magic is gone 🥹

    • @Rebecca-dm1co
      @Rebecca-dm1co Рік тому +28

      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.

  • @Luke-hs3bf
    @Luke-hs3bf Рік тому +67

    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

    • @makdaddy8399
      @makdaddy8399 Рік тому +1

      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?

    • @aSome1
      @aSome1 Рік тому +1

      The music video for 2300 Jackson Street highlights how big that family is haha

    • @markneukirch577
      @markneukirch577 Рік тому

      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.

  • @BillP-kg1yp
    @BillP-kg1yp Рік тому +300

    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.

    • @greg5775
      @greg5775 Рік тому +38

      Yeah, a brave man for doing that. That could have been a real bad move.

    • @kathrinekerns8398
      @kathrinekerns8398 Рік тому +27

      The building itself says, "if walls could talk, I'd have some stories to tell". Very eirie place.

    • @FrankRimes
      @FrankRimes Рік тому +40

      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...

    • @JoeandNicsRoadTrip
      @JoeandNicsRoadTrip  Рік тому +32

      I experienced the exact same situation in Detroit, Dan. :)

    • @TinkerTailor4303
      @TinkerTailor4303 Рік тому +1

      @@FrankRimes That’s humorous, but not...🫣

  • @nathanb.5792
    @nathanb.5792 2 місяці тому +9

    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.

  • @stalebread5887
    @stalebread5887 Рік тому +351

    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.

    • @kbanghart
      @kbanghart Рік тому +28

      I'm sure they couldn't afford a decent coach, or equipment, no funding.

    • @paulhayden255
      @paulhayden255 Рік тому +10

      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?

    • @crimsonking440
      @crimsonking440 Рік тому +18

      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.

    • @collinszymanski7126
      @collinszymanski7126 Рік тому +14

      @@paulhayden255 it was the first game of the playoffs, in Indiana every team plays in the sectionals

    • @indianaroberts5608
      @indianaroberts5608 Рік тому +2

      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

  • @rebekahjohnson9072
    @rebekahjohnson9072 Рік тому +454

    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.

    • @keithawhosoever5384
      @keithawhosoever5384 Рік тому +11

      Where may I ask , are you working as a missionary ❓
      🇬🇧🆓✝️

    • @daddybandit4431
      @daddybandit4431 Рік тому +77

      @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.

    • @joshl6275
      @joshl6275 Рік тому +28

      @@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.

    • @b4ssfunk3d
      @b4ssfunk3d Рік тому +17

      @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

    • @justaplainspokengirl
      @justaplainspokengirl Рік тому +4

      @@bobzacamano658 Get around a little more dude.

  • @babesmariba
    @babesmariba Рік тому +169

    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

    • @HighLordBlazeReborn
      @HighLordBlazeReborn Рік тому +17

      Everything that's open and running is probably so far apart that there's no point walking, except for downtown

    • @73prd
      @73prd Рік тому +4

      Hi mate, I live in Australia and I find this town as many other U.S towns in this condition its so sad

    • @curtisroberts5715
      @curtisroberts5715 Рік тому +15

      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.

    • @Alen725
      @Alen725 Рік тому +1

      Nope, people were out. Scarcely but they did.

    • @h.w.4482
      @h.w.4482 Рік тому +1

      @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

  • @Mrsmarina84
    @Mrsmarina84 5 місяців тому +5

    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 :)

  • @Maladjester
    @Maladjester Рік тому +642

    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.

    • @neverpc4404
      @neverpc4404 Рік тому +9

      I learned how bad Gary was in 1978 when Lyman Bostock was gunned down there.

    • @choxxxieful
      @choxxxieful Рік тому +50

      Necrotized - great word.

    • @glizzy2911
      @glizzy2911 Рік тому +4

      Damn

    • @alexlaw1892
      @alexlaw1892 Рік тому +69

      Moral of the story, diversity is most certainly not a strength.

    • @neverpc4404
      @neverpc4404 Рік тому +16

      @@alexlaw1892 Amen to that!!!!!

  • @Dani-it5sy
    @Dani-it5sy Рік тому +261

    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.

    • @geekers8644
      @geekers8644 Рік тому +17

      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.

    • @Dani-it5sy
      @Dani-it5sy Рік тому +44

      @@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.

    • @AldousTyler
      @AldousTyler Рік тому

      @@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.

    • @squidwardo7074
      @squidwardo7074 Рік тому +9

      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

    • @powertothesheeple5422
      @powertothesheeple5422 Рік тому +26

      @@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.

  • @Q1776Q
    @Q1776Q Рік тому +424

    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!

    • @PoeticHeart
      @PoeticHeart Рік тому +25

      Yikes!

    • @Roaming_Realms2B
      @Roaming_Realms2B Рік тому +29

      Omg lol cops telling you that....😮

    • @Nat.Dialogue
      @Nat.Dialogue Рік тому +12

      Sounds inclusive

    • @chrisparker8853
      @chrisparker8853 Рік тому +16

      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

    • @cookie_chicken
      @cookie_chicken Рік тому +26

      @Michael Levay this isn’t a klan meeting bro wyd

  • @VeggiePAK
    @VeggiePAK 28 днів тому +2

    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!

  • @kimberlyp8757
    @kimberlyp8757 10 місяців тому +106

    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.

    • @kimberlybraden3209
      @kimberlybraden3209 9 місяців тому +4

      "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.

    • @eri020
      @eri020 9 місяців тому +7

      @@kimberlybraden3209 what does this have to do with what she said? lol

    • @GBR9794
      @GBR9794 9 місяців тому +5

      @@eri020 you know, some religious folks can be a bit nutty

    • @WavvyBul
      @WavvyBul 6 місяців тому

      I still go to miller and Marquette beach every year It’s beautiful over there I love it

    • @kansashighlights624
      @kansashighlights624 5 місяців тому

      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.

  • @BenjaminIsreal12
    @BenjaminIsreal12 Рік тому +36

    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. 💯👌😊

    • @AdamBiggers81
      @AdamBiggers81 Рік тому +3

      Gary reminds me of Flint, my hometown. Rich history and glory years, wealth and quality of living, great neighborhoods... then it all fell apart.

    • @JimBEATTIE-os1jk
      @JimBEATTIE-os1jk 28 днів тому

      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

  • @Questionthis1
    @Questionthis1 Рік тому +144

    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.

    • @coleket8173
      @coleket8173 Рік тому +6

      Fr you can tell it was built by an actual oil company

    • @e.s.l.1083
      @e.s.l.1083 Рік тому

      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)

    • @TheRealMasonYoung
      @TheRealMasonYoung Рік тому +2

      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.

    • @blackjam2683
      @blackjam2683 Рік тому +4

      @@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.

    • @mplslawnguy3389
      @mplslawnguy3389 Рік тому

      @@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.

  • @robertn2951
    @robertn2951 5 місяців тому +1

    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!

  • @Jane-yh3rn
    @Jane-yh3rn Рік тому +48

    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.😊

  • @chiefscrubadub3928
    @chiefscrubadub3928 Рік тому +168

    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"

    • @kimberlybraden3209
      @kimberlybraden3209 9 місяців тому

      "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.

    • @guyseydel1080
      @guyseydel1080 18 днів тому

      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 !!!!

  • @CreatingExcellence
    @CreatingExcellence Рік тому +69

    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.

    • @smelltheglove2038
      @smelltheglove2038 Рік тому +8

      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.

    • @threezysworld8089
      @threezysworld8089 Рік тому +1

      It's very interesting, just get out when the sun starts setting 😂

    • @MakerInMotion
      @MakerInMotion Рік тому +1

      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.

    • @WCWThunderRosa
      @WCWThunderRosa Рік тому

      @@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.

  • @thebionicbassplayer
    @thebionicbassplayer 5 місяців тому +10

    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.

  • @redrobur68
    @redrobur68 Рік тому +277

    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.

    • @kenheisner288
      @kenheisner288 Рік тому

      My old steel mill city has found a major natural gas reserves it has helped Europe stay clear of that horrible man Putin

    • @Deetroiter
      @Deetroiter Рік тому +22

      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

    • @MsTygame
      @MsTygame Рік тому +11

      @@Deetroiter you are right about victim status and like that all over.

    • @redrobur68
      @redrobur68 Рік тому +16

      @@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.

    • @Deetroiter
      @Deetroiter Рік тому +6

      @@redrobur68 Wunderbar! I'll have to read more about him and the story, thank you very much for sharing it with everyone

  • @TrunkyDunks
    @TrunkyDunks Рік тому +494

    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!

    • @gabriellehanks6850
      @gabriellehanks6850 Рік тому +23

      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 🤷🏽‍♀️

    • @TrunkyDunks
      @TrunkyDunks Рік тому +105

      @@gabriellehanks6850 wasn't the point 🤷‍♂️ clearly bullies had no effect on ya

    • @Fritolay72
      @Fritolay72 Рік тому +65

      @@TrunkyDunks I wonder why Gabrielle got bullied 🤷‍♂️

    • @Elizabeth-xn9rk
      @Elizabeth-xn9rk Рік тому +47

      @@gabriellehanks6850 What is wrong with you?

    • @berardoferrari
      @berardoferrari Рік тому +14

      @@Fritolay72 wrong skin color LOL!!!!!

  • @saralarson695
    @saralarson695 5 місяців тому

    Thanks!

  • @mikaross4671
    @mikaross4671 Рік тому +76

    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.

    • @paulhcan
      @paulhcan Рік тому +9

      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.

    • @mikaross4671
      @mikaross4671 Рік тому +5

      @@paulhcan I can only imagine. America needs to take better care of their older buildings, especially churches, museums, etc.

    • @theirmom4723
      @theirmom4723 Рік тому +6

      @@paulhcan The church was set on fire in 1997. That is one reason the "decay" is so bad.

    • @caseyj.1332
      @caseyj.1332 Рік тому +3

      The church stands like a monument of shame.

    • @carlosmedlen
      @carlosmedlen Рік тому

      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....

  • @chrisdean6700
    @chrisdean6700 Рік тому +409

    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.

    • @leerothman7570
      @leerothman7570 Рік тому +13

      Ahh yes we went to Phil Schmits restaurant near there for special occasions. What a memory.🤗

    • @pechaa
      @pechaa Рік тому +41

      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.

    • @sixassassin204
      @sixassassin204 Рік тому +61

      @@pechaa but how does that explain all of the trash being literally everywhere?

    • @lisabaltzer4190
      @lisabaltzer4190 Рік тому +23

      Crime actually went down during the Great Depression. How do you explain that?

    • @panhead55
      @panhead55 Рік тому +29

      @@pechaa Agreed, but individuals can still pick up or at least make an effort to keep things in a somewhat decent order.

  • @graemewhalen40
    @graemewhalen40 Рік тому +53

    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.

  • @toddbartel6300
    @toddbartel6300 20 днів тому +1

    I always liked the little house when your getting off on the Burr St exit. They redid quite a few of them

  • @dragon-lf9ow
    @dragon-lf9ow Рік тому +334

    Could you imagine if those abandoned houses could tell their stories. About the family's that once lived in them

    • @saltydog4443
      @saltydog4443 Рік тому +20

      Thats what I was thinking, go back to Thanksgiving 1949 Think of all the wonderful family gatherings it must have been so nice.

    • @apocyldoomer
      @apocyldoomer Рік тому +2

      Yes.

    • @CalebWilliams2030
      @CalebWilliams2030 Рік тому +6

      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.

    • @jacqui7261
      @jacqui7261 Рік тому +2

      I would love to go back in time and see these towns, as prosperous towns that they once were.

    • @dragon-lf9ow
      @dragon-lf9ow Рік тому

      I totally agree

  • @richardblayneamerican8149
    @richardblayneamerican8149 Рік тому +95

    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.

    • @nancyparker9986
      @nancyparker9986 Рік тому +1

      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 !!!!!

    • @laszlozoltan5021
      @laszlozoltan5021 Рік тому +17

      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.

    • @sweetteagrits3822
      @sweetteagrits3822 Рік тому +7

      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.

    • @leerothman7570
      @leerothman7570 Рік тому +6

      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.

    • @garyjohnson4575
      @garyjohnson4575 Рік тому

      ...sold it!

  • @fredjohn808
    @fredjohn808 Рік тому +465

    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..

    • @CS-ox9hn
      @CS-ox9hn Рік тому +12

      Why did it happen?
      What did go wrong?

    • @johnr.b.murray3417
      @johnr.b.murray3417 Рік тому +37

      @@CS-ox9hn Jews.

    • @roxanpierson9541
      @roxanpierson9541 Рік тому

      NAFTA and the Clintons.

    • @roadwarrior528
      @roadwarrior528 Рік тому

      Hard to be a patriot when half the country hates the other half because they don't vote Democrat, including this current administration.

    • @wil7228
      @wil7228 Рік тому +23

      ​@@CS-ox9hn greed greed

  • @juliechurley2716
    @juliechurley2716 2 місяці тому +2

    Thanks so much. Watching from Australia- really enjoy your tours❤

  • @American_NightmareTM
    @American_NightmareTM Рік тому +52

    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.

    • @xheidix1974
      @xheidix1974 Рік тому +4

      My ex brother in law worked there as well.

    • @MrFatdubyman
      @MrFatdubyman Рік тому

      all those words u said is why america is bad again

    • @davidkemp3154
      @davidkemp3154 Рік тому +1

      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.

    • @jeffreykidwell3335
      @jeffreykidwell3335 Рік тому

      @@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.

    • @idipped2521
      @idipped2521 Рік тому

      This country is a shadow of its former self. We are headed for collapse

  • @innerlight7018
    @innerlight7018 Рік тому +16

    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.

    • @JoeandNicsRoadTrip
      @JoeandNicsRoadTrip  Рік тому

      Thank you!! :)

    • @Fighton31
      @Fighton31 Рік тому +1

      You really don't see a lot of this in the US.

    • @martinusv7433
      @martinusv7433 Рік тому

      ​@@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.

  • @stevegorr4262
    @stevegorr4262 Рік тому +40

    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.

  • @lordkuku
    @lordkuku 17 днів тому +2

    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.

  • @mikevincent5606
    @mikevincent5606 Рік тому +121

    As a truck driver, I have gone down IN-53 (broadway) many times.
    The decay of downtown Gary is both fascinating and sad.

    • @Devmac89
      @Devmac89 Рік тому +3

      Same man took it as a detour when 80 is backed up. Depressing driving thru it.

    • @bradford_shaun_murray
      @bradford_shaun_murray Рік тому +4

      it's become the set of a zombie movie - crazy stuff

    • @kbanghart
      @kbanghart Рік тому

      ​@@bradford_shaun_murray and they say California is bad

    • @bradford_shaun_murray
      @bradford_shaun_murray Рік тому +1

      @@kbanghart California is the zombie movie comedy meets beach babe film.

    • @kbanghart
      @kbanghart Рік тому

      @@bradford_shaun_murray excellent

  • @phyllisbrooks3793
    @phyllisbrooks3793 Рік тому +164

    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!

    • @davidtrotman5990
      @davidtrotman5990 Рік тому +1

      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.

    • @phyllisbrooks3793
      @phyllisbrooks3793 Рік тому +21

      @@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!

    • @TheJaxMG
      @TheJaxMG Рік тому +9

      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.

    • @gregusmc2868
      @gregusmc2868 Рік тому +2

      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. ❤️🫡

    • @RachelPenningtonHull
      @RachelPenningtonHull Рік тому +7

      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.

  • @madelinej17
    @madelinej17 9 місяців тому +45

    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.

  • @Mrbb33399
    @Mrbb33399 5 місяців тому +9

    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.

    • @guyseydel1080
      @guyseydel1080 18 днів тому

      USS is Not closed, employee numbers are down but not closed..

  • @riffraff521
    @riffraff521 Рік тому +205

    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
      @ent1311 Рік тому +3

      Do they still live there?

    • @riffraff521
      @riffraff521 Рік тому +30

      @@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.

    • @moxmann
      @moxmann Рік тому

      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.

    • @justaguy-69
      @justaguy-69 Рік тому +14

      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

    • @theequalizer9154
      @theequalizer9154 Рік тому +6

      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.

  • @dejpsyd0421
    @dejpsyd0421 Рік тому +44

    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
      @aSome1 Рік тому +2

      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

    • @dejpsyd0421
      @dejpsyd0421 Рік тому +4

      @@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!

    • @AndreaSimone57
      @AndreaSimone57 Рік тому +1

      You could google Earth the address

    • @dejpsyd0421
      @dejpsyd0421 Рік тому +1

      @@AndreaSimone57 Heyyy, i never thought of that. Andrea...no wonder you get paid the big bucks! :)

    • @PeaceToAll-sl1db
      @PeaceToAll-sl1db Рік тому

      once the whites moved out, the city went to hell - same with detroit many other cities

  • @RobJ351
    @RobJ351 Рік тому +61

    So sad seeing such an old beautiful church and historical homes being left derelict to deteriorate, due to industry closing down . Thankyou 🇦🇺

    • @matchmade44
      @matchmade44 Рік тому +2

      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.

  • @rabpunk
    @rabpunk Місяць тому

    Really enjoying your videos.So much desolation in some of those cities towns.Will be working my way through more of your videos.Thanks.

  • @peterwiersma4157
    @peterwiersma4157 Рік тому +295

    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.

    • @dianefoley2556
      @dianefoley2556 Рік тому +39

      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.

    • @badgirl44654
      @badgirl44654 Рік тому +7

      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. 😂

    • @dudeinacar01
      @dudeinacar01 Рік тому +4

      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.

    • @booboos1111
      @booboos1111 Рік тому +3

      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. ❤️🤍💙

    • @thejman5552
      @thejman5552 Рік тому +9

      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.

  • @TheReal754
    @TheReal754 Рік тому +71

    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!

    • @Smog104
      @Smog104 Рік тому +3

      It’s very sad to see what Thatcher done here and Reagan done over there both their socioeconomic policies were adopted by successive governments

    • @Smog104
      @Smog104 Рік тому

      @@timmattle4730 79 /80 but I’m speaking in general not if the specific town

    • @KarsenKeith
      @KarsenKeith Рік тому +1

      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.

    • @Smog104
      @Smog104 Рік тому

      @@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 .

  • @rapsody45
    @rapsody45 Рік тому +52

    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.

    • @JorJorCrelatto
      @JorJorCrelatto Рік тому +3

      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.

  • @Crackers2549
    @Crackers2549 5 місяців тому +1

    Love watching your videos Joe… You are so thorough and it’s great how you give the crime rates, population etc… And your narration is excellent… Outstanding… I live in Indiana in Valparaiso about 30 miles SE of Gary… Can Gary be saved probably not …. Sad…Another great video Joe, thank you…! Greg

  • @waleyefish9026
    @waleyefish9026 Рік тому +79

    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
      @Maaaattologyyyy Рік тому +6

      And they say it was all great and it's bad now. Yellow orange sky. Said it smelled

    • @agentofficerthomasa.porter107
      @agentofficerthomasa.porter107 Рік тому +6

      @@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.

    • @chopperjoe6592
      @chopperjoe6592 Рік тому

      @@Maaaattologyyyy sulfur and iron oxides…… your cookware is probably doing more harm to you.

    • @kimberlybraden3209
      @kimberlybraden3209 9 місяців тому

      "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.

    • @stephenkammerling9479
      @stephenkammerling9479 5 місяців тому +2

      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.

  • @jan4222
    @jan4222 Рік тому +145

    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.

    • @jilltagmorris
      @jilltagmorris Рік тому +4

      My aunt and uncle moved to Glen Park as well.

    • @lekeiag
      @lekeiag Рік тому +6

      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.

    • @TheLonelyPamphleteer
      @TheLonelyPamphleteer Рік тому +4

      I live in Glen Park now and use to live in the Miller Atena area when I first came to Gary.

    • @jan4222
      @jan4222 Рік тому +2

      @@lekeiag Oh, Caroline, I agree!! I was nervous the whole time he was in there.

    • @TayDamage
      @TayDamage Рік тому

      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

  • @scottsauerbier1905
    @scottsauerbier1905 Рік тому +20

    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.

  • @aquelpibe
    @aquelpibe 8 місяців тому

    Thank you for this documentary. Honest, unflinching but always respectful. Sad to see this once thriving town´s current sorrow state.

  • @dannycrockett9878
    @dannycrockett9878 Рік тому +47

    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.

    • @jasonhuntchicago
      @jasonhuntchicago Рік тому +4

      Read “War is a Racket” by Smedley Butler and work to stop US imperialism from here on out moto.

    • @iggyrulz420
      @iggyrulz420 Рік тому +2

      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.

    • @MatthewMarvin
      @MatthewMarvin Рік тому +2

      Chicago is where I lock my doors lol

    • @ГалинаК-л2ю
      @ГалинаК-л2ю Рік тому +1

      Какого черта ты поперся в Бейрут? Зачем вы лезете на чужие континенты?

  • @lillysbookcase9682
    @lillysbookcase9682 Рік тому +129

    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
      @lillysbookcase9682 Рік тому +14

      I also forgot to mention the Miller beach area were there are half million dollar homes.
      Also most homeless people in Gary become squatters.

    • @jedzy
      @jedzy Рік тому +1

      Yuck, sorry to hear you live there that place is disgusting.. I live in Brisbane, Queensland Australia, look it up

    • @guadaatenea
      @guadaatenea Рік тому +8

      @@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.

    • @JD-nr8hf
      @JD-nr8hf Рік тому +1

      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.

    • @huldu
      @huldu Рік тому +3

      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.

  • @johnrobinson1020
    @johnrobinson1020 Рік тому +18

    Great video, very professional and informative; so sad to see such devastation throughout this once-thriving community; Seeing the magnificent church going to ruin is more than sad and makes you wonder, what happened to the people who used to go there; so much history in that building; I can imagine it in all its glory and happy events that would have taken place there. I am so glad you documented this for us to see but so sad to see as "Will it ever be rebuilt to how it was"? is a question that is impossible to answer at the moment, one can only hope that maybe one day it will be reborn and once again be the great community that is used to be.

  • @sandygunnels5931
    @sandygunnels5931 15 днів тому

    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.

  • @sherilee4195
    @sherilee4195 11 місяців тому +119

    Looking at that big magnificent church in such terrible shape made me so sad. The whole town/city is very depressing. Thank you Joe, for sharing this with us.

    • @kimberlybraden3209
      @kimberlybraden3209 9 місяців тому

      "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.

    • @Ddax-td7qy
      @Ddax-td7qy 9 місяців тому +1

      Day after Easter, 2024. So sad. I watch videos of road trips out west where the railroad or freeway went a different way. Gary isn't unique. still sad.

    • @Melior_Traiano
      @Melior_Traiano 6 місяців тому +3

      If I was a billionaire, I'd be inclined to restore the church to its former glory. Like Ford did recently in Detroit with the old train station.

    • @lucas82
      @lucas82 5 місяців тому

      If you think that's magnificent I advise you to visit Europe. Even in my hometown we have a much more impressive neo-Gothic style church. We even have actual Gothic churches, some of which are more than 800 years old.

    • @Melior_Traiano
      @Melior_Traiano 5 місяців тому

      @@lucas82 Thats great. In my hometown we have the Cologne Cathedral. You might have heard of it. I still think this church in Gary, Indiana, is absolutely magnificent.

  • @DanielGarcia-fi8gk
    @DanielGarcia-fi8gk 11 місяців тому +46

    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.

    • @kimberlybraden3209
      @kimberlybraden3209 9 місяців тому

      "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.

  • @eshawn97
    @eshawn97 Рік тому +26

    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.

  • @MrMowww1
    @MrMowww1 5 місяців тому +1

    Love these little side trips through small U.S towns that I otherwise would never see. Murray from Calgary.

  • @Pennsylvaniastrong
    @Pennsylvaniastrong Рік тому +234

    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. 😢

    • @msfabre82allday92
      @msfabre82allday92 Рік тому +9

      🥺

    • @zombiesRUseless6880
      @zombiesRUseless6880 Рік тому +59

      Don't tell me, the guy was blaq? I'd be very surprised if he was another color.

    • @geraldwalsh3644
      @geraldwalsh3644 Рік тому +43

      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.

    • @tazzthedoodle7861
      @tazzthedoodle7861 Рік тому +33

      That's a horrible story. I'm sorry for their loss.

    • @adamsaucedo1120
      @adamsaucedo1120 Рік тому +7

      Rip

  • @jeannieleifer6776
    @jeannieleifer6776 Рік тому +40

    Wow! That's amazing footage! That abandoned church is incredible! Thank you for having the guts of steel to go inside and capture that! Also, giving us the info on the history! I am now subscribed!

    • @section5760
      @section5760 11 місяців тому +3

      Love and prayers from Scotland hen 🫵🏽❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🥰👍🏼🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

    • @TheDarcyhorn
      @TheDarcyhorn 11 місяців тому +2

      More nerve than I would have going into a vacant building in Gary. You are asking for trouble. You come upon a deal going down and you are in trouble.

  • @citrustaco
    @citrustaco Рік тому +35

    I was born and raised in Gary, so I've been waiting for this one. My grandmother and I would go to that church on the right at 21st and Broadway. Sad to see the famous words "Jackson Five Tonite" no longer remain on the The Palace sign. I know you focus the most on downtown. I'm from the Miller section of Gary and that section of Gary is right on the lakefront of Lake Michigan. Would have been nice to see that as well. From the beach, you can get out of your car and see downtown Chicago in the distance.

    • @indianaslim4971
      @indianaslim4971 Рік тому +1

      All the cool kids went to Lew Wallace, not Wirt....

    • @arnettavelez9069
      @arnettavelez9069 Рік тому +2

      I hear the Miller area is booming.

    • @arnettavelez9069
      @arnettavelez9069 Рік тому

      ​@indianaslim4971 Crazy thing happened. I was having internet service hooked up. Both guys that came out were from Chicago and their wives were from Gary. I spoke with one of them that went to Lew Wallace. She went to visit prior to it being shut down and was telling me about the rats running around while students were in class. 😮 OMG.

    • @indianaslim4971
      @indianaslim4971 Рік тому +3

      @@arnettavelez9069 I went to Wallace from 1970-74, freshman year they were just completing a multi million dollar expansion that about doubled it's original size, no rats then.

    • @citrustaco
      @citrustaco Рік тому +5

      @@indianaslim4971 Sad what’s happened to the schools with population decline. Horace Mann closed first. Lew Wallace gone, Wirt and Emerson merged and gone, Roosevelt gone. Just West Side is left I believe.

  • @anthonyhutchinson1934
    @anthonyhutchinson1934 28 днів тому

    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

  • @jeichorn63
    @jeichorn63 Рік тому +12

    Thanks for these videos. It's really sad to see empty structures that nobody can afford to tear down.

  • @drvee1983
    @drvee1983 Рік тому +15

    Well filmed and narrated. The church was a magnificent structure and architecture. Sad decay of a once great city, but some residents still care. Thanks for posting.

  • @johnanderson5760
    @johnanderson5760 29 днів тому +4

    I've often heard truckers refer to this town as Scary, Ind. Now I can certainly see why.

  • @hb2019
    @hb2019 Рік тому +96

    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.

    • @yvonneplant9434
      @yvonneplant9434 Рік тому

      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.

    • @johnannadavis8411
      @johnannadavis8411 Рік тому +5

      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.

    • @rugbyguitargod
      @rugbyguitargod Рік тому +13

      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.

    • @lieshtmeiser5542
      @lieshtmeiser5542 Рік тому +9

      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.

    • @markbond1658
      @markbond1658 Рік тому +9

      ​@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.

  • @shyshy808
    @shyshy808 Рік тому +12

    First of all, thank you for making these videos along with all the town information. A lot of work and information. Thank you. I truly appreciate you exploring the abandoned church. Hopefully, one day you get to take us on a tour through an abandoned house.

  • @amomentwithmileva
    @amomentwithmileva Рік тому +16

    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!

  • @ickbar
    @ickbar 2 години тому +1

    Fascinating insight. The only thing I knew about the place was it was the birthplace of the Jackson family.

  • @dave32173
    @dave32173 Рік тому +50

    it would be interesting to see old photos from the 40's and 50's of the same area to compare what has actually taken place over the last several decades. so sad to see it run down like that. Thanks for sharing your adventure.

    • @NationOfMasturbation
      @NationOfMasturbation Рік тому +1

      It was once beautiful

    • @ectolle54
      @ectolle54 Рік тому +2

      There’s pictures on google of the downtown area in the 40s and 50s was it’s heyday

  • @erichighsmith7299
    @erichighsmith7299 Рік тому +13

    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.

  • @emagneticfield
    @emagneticfield 9 місяців тому +118

    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.

    • @ryanoconnor_guitar
      @ryanoconnor_guitar 7 місяців тому +6

      thats great philosophy.. i also follow this guideline

    • @nigelswindles1129
      @nigelswindles1129 5 місяців тому +1

      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

    • @craigknight4836
      @craigknight4836 4 місяці тому +6

      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.

    • @BrandonBell-r8l
      @BrandonBell-r8l 4 місяці тому

      @@emagneticfield ko nah

    • @samillerobinson4360
      @samillerobinson4360 4 місяці тому

      Thank you 😊

  • @caseymead9399
    @caseymead9399 11 місяців тому +19

    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.

  • @gnphoto21
    @gnphoto21 26 днів тому +4

    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.

  • @paulmaloney2383
    @paulmaloney2383 Рік тому +86

    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

    • @nickjunes
      @nickjunes Рік тому +3

      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...

    • @Littlekitten_
      @Littlekitten_ Рік тому

      What is your favorite city or state for the US?

    • @danf7411
      @danf7411 Рік тому +4

      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

    • @ds29891
      @ds29891 Рік тому +4

      Fellow Canadian, lol.
      You could probably "tiktok" your trips and blow up tbh.

    • @bradford_shaun_murray
      @bradford_shaun_murray Рік тому

      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.

  • @MidwestCombatServicesLLC
    @MidwestCombatServicesLLC Рік тому +12

    I moved from the Chicago's South Side to Duluth, MN. Much of Duluth is a US Steel company town, similar to Gary, but most of Duluth is immaculately preserved. I can watch these videos of yours all day! Nice work.

  • @janetpope8495
    @janetpope8495 Рік тому +21

    I was holding my breath after giving the stats when you got out and walked that once magnificent church. I was feeling scared for you. Then, when you mentioned some sounds made, saying it felt haunted, I felt the same thing. Wow. Amazing and terrifying. Saddens me to see how cities like Gary are just spent. I think this town needs a miracle.

    • @sarahc3108
      @sarahc3108 Рік тому +3

      Not sure if haunted, but definitely occupied...from all the graffiti, seems people use that space

    • @kimberlybraden3209
      @kimberlybraden3209 9 місяців тому

      "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.

  • @ChrisLuck-ud6wg
    @ChrisLuck-ud6wg 4 місяці тому

    Thanks for converting to Celsius. As an Australian I have no idea about fahrenheit. I'm glad I re-found you on my new profile. 👍😀

  • @gregorybarr6112
    @gregorybarr6112 Рік тому +27

    Very interesting and brought back a personal memory. In the early 60’s I was 9 years old and our father took us on a trip through the states. One of our overnight stops was at a campground near Gary Indiana. My mother prepared supper and we were all settling down when I began suffering abdominal cramps. Dad thought that I might be having an appendicitis attack and rushed me to the hospital. Your video brought that memorable night that I spent but little did I know that Michael Jackson at 3 years of age lived in the same town.
    My family is Canadian but dad always headed across the border when he had holidays. Thanks for sharing!🇨🇦

    • @marycooper8385
      @marycooper8385 Рік тому

      I grew up in a suburb of Gary

    • @marycooper8385
      @marycooper8385 Рік тому

      I remember vividly going to the State or Palace theater when we were kids we'd take the bus downtown how truly sad what it has denigrated to it breaks my heart ❤️

  • @JBrd79
    @JBrd79 Рік тому +124

    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.

    • @leadfoot8593
      @leadfoot8593 Рік тому +4

      Homeless get left alone, not like they have anything to take, homeless usually consume from nicest areas anyway,

    • @OMEGATECH
      @OMEGATECH Рік тому +14

      I concur, the homeless know where, and where not to go, volunteering in a homeless shelter in the past I would hear the stories.

    • @dpagain2167
      @dpagain2167 Рік тому +5

      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.

    • @chillywings
      @chillywings Рік тому +4

      @@dpagain2167 And no one to beg from.

    • @chillywings
      @chillywings Рік тому +5

      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.

  • @terry85mar
    @terry85mar Рік тому +38

    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.

    • @kellysanders7857
      @kellysanders7857 Рік тому +5

      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..

    • @glennwall552
      @glennwall552 Рік тому +1

      @@kellysanders7857 or the folks who moved out abandoned their homes.

    • @kellysanders7857
      @kellysanders7857 Рік тому +1

      @@glennwall552 but who vandalize them? Could have been resold. Who did the crime..come on..Gary was a beautiful town at one time..

    • @ytpboss2357
      @ytpboss2357 Місяць тому

      ​@@kellysanders7857 wonder who those people were

  • @orsonyancey4131
    @orsonyancey4131 4 місяці тому

    Thank you for making these videos. I am learning a lot about other areas of the country.

    • @johnh4261
      @johnh4261 4 місяці тому +1

      This is where the hunt for the 200 demons is?