Is there good in Gary? (Indianapolis, Hammond: crime, homes, neighborhood)

[sweepout]

I know Gary overall is said to be really bad, I've never been there so i assumed that there had to be some good parts in the city, one could only come to that conclusion if they haven't ever visited I'm sure. However i went on street view on Google Maps and even the downtown area didn't even look good, and i assumed that at least it would look nice-ish. I drove down Broadway on there if that makes any difference. So is there any good parts in Gary, or is the entire city one great big slum like people claim?

[Chuckity]

Do we really need one more Gary thread?

//www.city-data.com/forum/north...y-besides.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/north...bout-gary.html

[sweepout]

Originally Posted by Chuckity

Do we really need one more Gary thread?

//www.city-data.com/forum/north...y-besides.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/north...bout-gary.html

Well, no offense but I don't think there is a limit on to the number of times a town can be discussed, there's 80,000 people in Gary, there has to be something keeping them there.

Also, I've already looked at those threads, and even though that's not what was asked people still was mostly talking about how horrible a town is.

Most of the posts on the main Indiana page are of either of Muncie, Indianapolis, or Bloomington, so no I don't think three posts of a town bigger than most of the cities in Indiana is too many posts.

[Chuckity]

There are way more than 3 threads that discuss Gary.

But why do you care? You don't live there. You've never visited there. It's like you're viewing Gary as a big accident on the side of the road that you just want to gawk at.

[svillechris]

Originally Posted by sweepout

... don't think there is a limit on to the number of times a town can be discussed...

Well, if you're asking people for information, a sarcastic comment like this MAY not be the best way of getting it.

Use the search function too. There are literally hundred, if not thousands, of posts that in some way involve Gary.

As a recap of most of those posts, there are a few main ideas:

-Miller Beach neighborhood is considered the most desirable area of Gary. It's lakefront, downtown strip, and community vibe are attractive to certain people.

-Aside form Miller, the rest of the city is rundown/poverty-stricken, gang infested, and run by a corrupt government.

-You have a lot of people who have lived there (areas other than Miller) for decades and saw the collapse of the town, but refuse to leave because they either A) don't feel the need B) are "committed" to their community when so many others ran away or C) can't sell their property for any decent amount of money that they could put towards buying another town in the area that is more desirable.

-Gary really isn't that bad or unsafe if you're not involved in a gang or in the drug trade.

There ya go.

And by the way, the downtown area of Gary isn't nicer just because it's the downtown area. It's a dump.

[artemis]

Originally Posted by sweepout

I know Gary overall is said to be really bad, I've never been there so i assumed that there had to be some good parts in the city, one could only come to that conclusion if they haven't ever visited I'm sure. However i went on street view on Google Maps and even the downtown area didn't even look good, and i assumed that at least it would look nice-ish. I drove down Broadway on there if that makes any difference. So is there any good parts in Gary, or is the entire city one great big slum like people claim?

No.

[Northwest Indiana]

Originally Posted by svillechris

Well, if you're asking people for information, a sarcastic comment like this MAY not be the best way of getting it.

Use the search function too. There are literally hundred, if not thousands, of posts that in some way involve Gary.

As a recap of most of those posts, there are a few main ideas:

-Miller Beach neighborhood is considered the most desirable area of Gary. It's lakefront, downtown strip, and community vibe are attractive to certain people.

-Aside form Miller, the rest of the city is rundown/poverty-stricken, gang infested, and run by a corrupt government.

-You have a lot of people who have lived there (areas other than Miller) for decades and saw the collapse of the town, but refuse to leave because they either A) don't feel the need B) are "committed" to their community when so many others ran away or C) can't sell their property for any decent amount of money that they could put towards buying another town in the area that is more desirable.

-Gary really isn't that bad or unsafe if you're not involved in a gang or in the drug trade.

There ya go.

And by the way, the downtown area of Gary isn't nicer just because it's the downtown area. It's a dump.

I would also add that some sections of the west side in between Grant and Burr within the 20s blocks have some newer executive style homes (which I still wonder why people would throw down $300K+ there). But svillechris pretty much summed it up.

[SoHoVe]

Originally Posted by sweepout

I know Gary overall is said to be really bad, I've never been there so i assumed that there had to be some good parts in the city, one could only come to that conclusion if they haven't ever visited I'm sure. However i went on street view on Google Maps and even the downtown area didn't even look good, and i assumed that at least it would look nice-ish. I drove down Broadway on there if that makes any difference. So is there any good parts in Gary, or is the entire city one great big slum like people claim?

There are quite a few You Tube videos of downtown Gary...its a wasteland. Areas look like they were literally bombed.

Some residential areas look better than others...its basically the Hoosier version of Detroit.
Some nice homes in Miller but otherwise I think residents mainly stay because they either have little money and fewer options or because they are criminals and don't have to worry much about police interference.

I do think its LAUGHABLE though how dangerous it is considered to be by many in surrounding communities.
There is A LOT of crime but if your minding your own just driving thru in the daytime its pretty likely you will live to tell about it. I've cut through there on Ridge or Broadway many times after 1 AM...I'm a woman and I'm white.
Never really worried just kept a lookout ready to blow a stoplight if a situation didn't look safe.
With that being said, I did this knowing if I had a car problem things could go really, really wrong...no question.
Really if you have no reason to be there than there is no good reason to be there.

[urza216]

I worked in Gary for half a year. I also dropped off a number of my co-workers at thier homes in Gary after getting off work at midnight. I'm also pretty familiar with the food spots on the major roads that I'd go to for lunch breaks or after work... Gary's traditional downtown (Broadway and 25th) is ridiculously blighted. It looks like a ghost town. Grant Street and Burr has some things going for it though.. There's more decent people living in Gary than not. If you live there, you have a reason to be afraid. But honestly, people freak out over nothing.. It's fear of the unknown.

And don't run red lights. It's illegal and the fine is gonna be worse for you than whatever you perceive yourself to be running from...

[sweepout]

Originally Posted by Chuckity

There are way more than 3 threads that discuss Gary.

But why do you care? You don't live there. You've never visited there. It's like you're viewing Gary as a big accident on the side of the road that you just want to gawk at.

No I haven't been in Gary before, but i do go to Crown Point, East Chicago, Hammond, and Chicago all the time. It's not viewing a "wreck" on the side of the road. I don't live there but the new mayor, Karen i believe, seems to be a really good mayor, and hopefully she is able to turn Gary around and it can re-grow again. Also I don't know why you was so offended me asking about it in the first place, I am genuinely curious of Gary, it seems like an interesting town with a complex and fascinating history but when you look it up online you just get people talking about the bad parts, I was asking hoping someone who lives there works there or visits there could give me an insight to how it ACTUALLY is and not what people make it out to be.

If you would've went to the main Indiana thread and asked about how Kokomo started dieing suddenly in 2009 for a couple years I wouldn't have gotten offensive like that, nor would there be a reason for me to. Sorry I bothered you, from now on Ill just stay on the main Indiana page I guess!

Also thank you to everyone else, I didn't think actually being there in a car that it would be that bad, especially on the main roads.

Again, thanks to everyone else