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As famous as Gary may be, the birthplace of most members of the Jackson family, Gary also has been hit hard like Detroit. And also in common are a large contingent of abandoned buildings. Especially the churches are a great photography material.
Read it at Dark Roasted Blend.
Gary had about a ten year head-start over Detroit for deterioration. Used to drive through it going to Chitown and wonder what the heck happened here.
Gary probably just deteriorated from the air pollution
More then that it was PURE SEGREGATION!
1.Gary Indiana was once a fast booming steel town in 1900.
2. By the 1920s lots of black families from the southern states [[via The Great Black Migration) went to Gary, to work in the Steel Mills [[some were from Chicago, too like Joseph Walker Jackson, son of the Michael Jackson and Jackson Family).
3. Blacks were denied more housing in Gary due to restrictive covenants.
4. By the 1970s white middle class families in Gary had move away through real estate developements, better jobs not to live closer to black folks.
5. By the early 1970s Gary was mostly black and doing well. They even held a televisied Black Miss American Pagent. [[the old B.A.P.S.)
6. By the 1980s Downtown Gary went downhill after most middle class folks move away and U.S. Steel crashed and burned.
7 By the 1990s violent crime was very rampant and the people of Gary elected a white mayor named "King" that didn't show its image to lure investors in, except Don Barden who wanted to install his caSINo and he did.
8. Today Gary, Indiana is a all black ghetto institutionized to be a modern American urban reservation to keep certian number low-income blacks in and never develop and resist. Just like Detroit, Chicago, LA, Washignton D.C, St. Louis, New York City, Newark, Cleveland, New Orleans, Highland Park, MI. and many more.
Took a few excursions through Gary. Very interesting but depressing city.
Hey, they still have Michael Jackson's childhood home. I happened to be in that town when MJ died, and there was quite a vigil at his former residence.
As a bit of useless trivial: Gary is the birthplace of former Major League Rookie of the Year Ron Kittle.