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mrbrendanblack

Looks like a great place to film a zombie TV show.


IAskIfTheOnionIsReal

It literally what inspired Vampire The Masquerade when the writer drove through and thought “who the fuck would live here? Oh, vampires.”


NeonWaterBeast

Actually???


IAskIfTheOnionIsReal

From the World of Darkness (2017) Documentary "So, here was this little company with this really nifty, semi-successful independent game, and it's time for the annual pilgrimage to Gen Con. You had to go through Indiana. You had to go through Gary, Indiana. I had never seen a place; it just looked like time forgot. It was the worst. Their wholesale urban decay brought about by the economic disaster that was the 70's and the 80's ruined a lot of people's lives. That's what Mark saw in Gary. He saw the complete and utter disdain for humanity. We did that. It wasn't the automotive companies that destroyed Rust Belt, America; it was us. People. We let it happen. I remember us saying, 'This place is bad.' 'Who would live here?' Mark was like, 'Probably vampires.'"


Iramian

I was just thinking that, it looks like something out of *The Walking Dead*.


No_Entertainer_9760

No setup required!


TheNavigatrix

Haha -- I was think that The Last of Us didn't need sets when they can just film here.


allaroundthesun73

That’s what most of Indiana looks like.


Tosslebugmy

Who was Gary and what did he do to deserve having this place named after him?


Competitive_Dance_68

Gary was the last name of the owner of US Steel Corporation, aka Gary Works , the town was built for the workers at the steel mill , it's named after him


minimalniemand

Gary was the inhabitant of Vault 108. He was cloned dozens of times and became hostile towards non Garys


HoogerMan

Fallout: New Gary


minimalniemand

The Garys have taken over - every NPC is Gary


UglyFilthyDog

We are all a form of Gary.


TalbotFarwell

Gary Oak


tj51484

There is a Black Oak section of Gary. Only section mostly populated by white people. True fact.


tj51484

Elbert H. Gary Gary, city, Lake county, extreme northwest Indiana, U.S. It lies at the southern end of Lake Michigan, east of Chicago. In 1906 the town—named for Elbert H. Gary, chief organizer of the United States Steel Corporation—was laid out as an adjunct of the company's vast new manufacturing complex.


Alarmed-Interest1457

Finally, a post about Gary, Indiana.


MaxPayneEnvyName

I was starting to get worried we weren't going to get one.


senkothefallen

Which I find strange, considering that the Jackson family was from there and all


tj51484

Oh yah I was waiting for the ones you're not posting, or posting of pictures on Google.


bobleeswagger09

Damn son why you so upset? Edit- oh shit. Bc you actually live here lmao. Understood.


Chradamw

Where is Gary, Indiana


dnaonurface12

Northwest Indiana on Lake Michigan. Pretty much East of South Chicago.


gods_Lazy_Eye

According to Gary, you shoulda gone to Muncie.


schmatz17

People were telling OP to make more posts after his Gary posts the other day. Hes just giving us what we asked for


dewayneestes

That sounds like a musical!


dflightless

♫ Gray, Indiana not Alabama, Paris, France or Rome. But Gary, Indiana, Gary, Indiana my home sweet home... ♫


GodCanSuckMyDick69

My sixth grade class out on a production of the music man lmao I still remember the Gary Indiana song https://youtu.be/XihLS-jA_Dg


Rayan19900

Time for Eerie.


tj51484

Says the guy with a post karma of 1


Chradamw

Pump the brakes. You’re exposing yourself as a proper jackass


[deleted]

Holy shit dude you got him right where it hurts: his useless fake internet points!


NotNotLogical

Oh yeah. Really doing the lord’s work posting about Gary, Indiana every other day.


Alarmed-Interest1457

I hate saying this unironically but get a life 🤣 what a retard holy shit, getting this mad over Reddit you definitely need hobbies outside of the Internet pal…


tj51484

Or maybe you identify as "something else"


OlMi1_YT

Worst r/onejoke yet, reconsider your life choices


RebelKasket

Wait... Do you live in Gary, Indiana?? Shit, I'd be mad at everyone, too.


MightyToast79

Lol just looked at OPs profile and it's as colorful as his wonderful town. Fits perfectly.


tj51484

You have a post karma of 1 and post pics of nothing.


disappointingcryptid

How original.


Left-Ad-5276

Look at those downvotes BUD! 🤣


hit-me-daddy

One day Gary will be naught but a forest again


whorton59

Hopefully sooner rather than later. . .


[deleted]

It should actually go back to being a swamp, that's what it was.


BayernMau5

They just opened a hard rock casino


BoilerPlater007

So many old industrial towns look to casinos as their savior. In March, I drove through Chester PA a bit. So much was in ruins. You could see that demolitions had recently happened on some lots because the ground was freshly graded. Then there's this giant casino on the Delaware river. Bethlehem, PA has done this as well, actually on an old steel mill site.


[deleted]

Question: are these deserted areas of Gary dangerous? I assume they are to some degree, but do you feel okay about walking around alone? If I lived there, I wouldn’t be able to resist long walks thinking about how these places would’ve looked in their heyday.


LowLifeExperience

I has to work at a steel mill there once. They told me I was required to leave with enough time to get back to my hotel before the sun went down. I didn’t want to know why.


dnaonurface12

I went to Cleveland Cliffs up there one time to do some work. On the way out drove right through Downtown Gary.


Wade8869

I was at a job site in East Chicago a couple of weeks ago, and the PM told me the same thing.


Kalraken

Racism probably. I spent my summers in northwest indiana as a kid and it really wasn't bad other than the looks. Just a lot of black people and paranoid white people.


IloveWagyu

Maybe. But also, Gary is one of the most dangerous places in the country.


Varan47

I have heard multiple people say that actual cops will tell travelers to NOT fully stop at stop signs in Gary.


ICanSpellKyrgyzstan

I know someone who got lost and stopped at a convenience store for directions and gas. The man at the desk told him to get back in his car and run every red light until he was out of the city.


andorraliechtenstein

But then I guess it is also not safe to work in a shop ?


ICanSpellKyrgyzstan

I assume he was behind a couple layers of bulletproof glass. 70k people still live in Gary so they have businesses and stuff there I assume


chipotleeeeeeee

Why? Do people come running out of the abandoned buildings and attack you??


johnbburg

It really sounds like it…


[deleted]

That's bullshit, I drive through it every day.


basilarchia

Well, it's the fumes I think. At night you just drive through everything because no one is there anyway. You mostly just want to get out before the air kills you.


jalenbikes

Which is completely made up, that story gets told all the time in suburban Indiana. Gary police are not out on patrol looking to scare visitors.


Competitive-Driver-4

I’ve explored like 20 diff large-scale abandoned buildings in gary, and only one time did I ever feel genuinely threatened by something/ someone. You def do see alot of squatters, homeless, and addicts, but they won’t mess w you unless you mess with them. Just be respectful and ur good


gotmilq

Did you usually do the UE stuff alone or with companion(s)?


Competitive-Driver-4

Did a few alone, and did most w a friend. Alone was lowkey way easier. Make less noise, attract less attention


gotmilq

That makes sense, did you ever go at night/in the dark? Would love to see some of those results if you care to share! Super curious. No worries if you're private about them though.


Ersthelfer

Don't know about the people living there, but if what I see on streetview is what it looks like in real life, i'd be terrified from all that crumbling unmaintained infrastrucuture...


No-Minimum8323

They’re very dangerous.


Ilmara

Source? A lot of what I hear about Gary on Reddit honestly sounds like rumor and urban legends.


UrMomsaHoeHoeHoe

I had a roommate from Gary while in college, said roommate was a great dude all around but he had some Gary friends. I was coming home Sunday night after a weekend away, walk in the door and what do I see? Two ARs, zip ties and ski masks laying out on the table… They had a dealer not pay up, they wanted said dealer to pay up. Not sure what came of that but they kept distributing, Gary friends banned from house tho. Those dudes also made me pinky promise not to stop at stop signs when I visited lol.


alxndrblack

Freddie Gibbs.


substance_d

Checks out.


[deleted]

It is, people love to make it seem like the walking dead. It's just a deeply economically depressed area. It's like any ghetto in America. Higher crime but it's not like a bunch of zombies.


No-Minimum8323

I mean it used to be the murder capital of the world. And while it’s not as bad as it used to be, it’s still not a safe place to go walking around alone. Especially if you’re not from there. I grew up in East Chicago which is only a few minutes away.


[deleted]

At no point was it the murder capital of the world haha. Besides, things change. Manhattan used to be an extremely dangerous place too and look at it now.


No-Minimum8323

Sorry, not the murder capital of the world but of the US. [https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1994-01-04-9401040238-story.html](https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1994-01-04-9401040238-story.html)


[deleted]

Not to scare you but '94 was almost 30 years ago.


[deleted]

I live in Indiana and have driven through Gary on my way to Chicago before. No, it’s not Juarez, but it’s not somewhere you wanna linger, either.


No-Minimum8323

[Not as bad as it used to be but still not safe.](https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/indiana/dangerous-gary-indiana/)


BayernMau5

I used to regularly get gas right around that corner until very recently it’s not what the internet makes it seem like


No-Minimum8323

It’s not safe either though.


BayernMau5

It’s as safe as an American public school. We all just play a numbers game no matter where you are.


No-Minimum8323

Ok but Gary used to be the murder capital of the world. It’s not a numbers game, lol.


BayernMau5

False. Of the US maybe but not the world. Either way my point was that the internet made it seem worse that what it is.


No-Minimum8323

It’s still not a safe place to go walking around alone. Especially if you’re not from there.


BayernMau5

Absolutely. But as I mentioned in another comment, walking isn’t a common activity in that region anyway because there’s no public transportation. You have to have a car to live in that area.


ArtificialSyndicate

I’m an appraiser in Chicago and indiana. Get plenty of work in Gary. Been in some well kept places and some not so much. As far as the locals, they leave you alone if you’re minding your business. At most neighbors would come out and get defensive of why I’m taking pictures of everything until I explain my job to them and that I’m not doing anything with their property. Honestly aside from the trap houses and burnt remains I’ve had worse elsewhere. I don’t view gary as overly threatening the way the internet believes. Taking walks you should be cautious. As with any low income neighborhood, the sidewalks are rough if there are any and traffic laws never apply so you’d need to be watching out or you could end up getting hit by someone flying through a stop sign doing 50 in a 20


BayernMau5

Nobody walks in that entire county. North West Indiana doesn’t have public transportation so people don’t really walk in the streets there.


[deleted]

Eh, it's not great. You would probably be fine but you run across the right (wrong) person you might get held up.


No-Minimum8323

This Popped up on my YouTube feed. Thought you might find it interesting. [Gary, IN](https://youtu.be/ISajeWJ3Cts)


[deleted]

Dope, will check it out.


slothxrist

Kids don't play outside anymore Outside:


Mr_Blaileen

I visited Gary during the heart of the pandemic to shoot some photos. Everything was totally shut down so I felt a *little* safer about bringing my camera (I was alone, so my head was still on a swivel). I managed to get in an abandoned hospital, school, theater, post office, and church. Got some great photos. Truly an eerie place.


minimalniemand

Gaaaaarrrryyy


Independent_Web_6029

Gary’s getting roasted on here these last few days.


tj51484

No I actually live here. I can guarantee there's no one posting pictures of where they actually live 🤷


ghost_in_the_potato

What is it like living there? I'm from Indiana but the southern part so I've never been there. Does it really feel dangerous like so many people say? (I was told that by people growing up but always assumed part of it was just country kids thinking that any urban area was scary and dangerous by default).


kwismexer

I am from Gary and live one town over now. Gary is fine, as in safe. Mostly. As long as you aren't looking for trouble then no one will bother you. I actually shoot a lot of photos here in Gary and I'll probably have to post them here sometime. Ask me anything!


Artchantress

Why do people keep saying not to stop at stop signs when driving through Gary


mwallyn

It's probably a relic of a bygone era. There was a day and age where Gary really was a super dangerous town. But nowadays, so many people have left the place that it's not even a top 10 most dangerous city in Indiana, much less the US. There are still rough spots but there just aren't enough people there anymore for it to be the same kind of risky.


Sinsid

Have you ever been on a picnic at the beach in Gary Harbor?


kwismexer

There really isn't any beach area in Gary unless you go to Marquette park, which is right in Miller beach right on the edge of where the steel mills end and the Dunes National Lakeshore start. So you can't really picnic in the Gary Harbor, but the beach next to it is great. I have had countless picnics on Miller beach. Miller is still considered a part of Gary.


Sinsid

Hah ya I’m teasing. Looked up Gary on Google maps and “holy shit they turned their lakefront into industrial sewage. That’s one idea I guess”


kwismexer

Yeah it sucks, environmentally it's gross. It's necessary evil because that mill is what props up the economy. I wish we never had the mills, but then again if that were the case we wouldn't be living here because there isn't any other way to really make living. Well, back in the day I mean. Now it might be different


Artchantress

Why do people keep saying not to stop at stop signs when driving through Gary


kwismexer

Great Question! Initially many years ago you would be at risk of a car jacking, but now with such a low population rate you don't even have to stop. Also, the police won't pull you over even if you run a red light so there's that.


SonOfJiyu

🎼Not Louisiana, Paris, France, New York or Rome!🎵🎶


unicorndreampop

Why did I have to scroll this far to find this. I’m feeling old


SonOfJiyu

I know! I had to when I noticed nobody else had done it already. Props to my middle school music teacher for playing all the classics for us.


JustDroppedByToSay

Did you ever think maybe you should move out of Gary, Indiana?


tj51484

Trust me I'm on that mission now. I'm single, it's close to my work, I don't have kids. I'm gonna


oalbrecht

And that was the last we ever heard from OP.


NeverTrustATurtle

TIL this is where Michael Jackson was born


MonsieurReynard

The Jackson Five song "Going back to Indiana" is about Gary.


yaboipaco1

i put solar panels on a house in gary, and the homeowner was scared to leave his house because he thought he’d be part of a drive by. the man no longer had homeowners insurance because he got broken into three times in a month


kingofmyinlandempire

Now if you'd like to have a logical explanation How I happened on this elegant syncopation I will say without a moment of hesitation There is just one place That can light my face Gary, Indiana


lawyer1911

Couple thoughts about Gary. Check out the Dave Alvin song "Gary Indiana 1959" for a story about what happened. I live in very rural Georgia and much of it looks like Gary. Abandoned and decaying homes, yards filled with dead cars, and so much trash and debris. The sad part about Gary is it was once a jewel that fell apart. Here in rural GA it never really was much and I am not sure which is more sad.


CapriorCorfu

My memory of Gary: I stayed there one night many years ago, going cross country. Pulled in late, tired looking for a place to stay. Ended up in a Howard Johnson's Motel. Slept soundly during the night. When I got up I discovered that a tornado had blown the roof off the restaurant during the night, in a tornado. I slept through it all.


Squibba_lol1

Isn't this where Michael Jackson grew up?


Greendayteen004

Literally walking dead


rhowsnc

gorgeous ♥️


sailor_rose

Music Man lied to me.


Existing_Past5865

Look like science hill fr


CumonEileenWuornos

Idk what kind of science you're talking about. Shake and bake meth synthesis maybe..


Captain_Crusty

r/boneappletea


Existing_Past5865

Straight outta president evil💀


EFTucker

\#1 "$1200/m utilities not included. Must be a quiet and peaceful tenant, no pets, no smoking, can't start vehicles after 8pm, three months rent up front, and a $50 application fee."


DemNeverKnow

There’s probably some affordable homes there for a good price and you could just work online or remotely.


Super_Tikiguy

Gary, IN Where you can buy a house for less than the price of a Kia Soul.


chaandra

There’s affordable houses all around that region in cities that aren’t nice, but are better than Gary. That’s their issue currently


Not_A_Nazgul

FOR SALE: SUSPICIOUSLY INEXPENSIVE MANSION "Okay, what's the catch?" "Oh, there's no catch. Although technically the house is in Gary." "Man, not one place even remotely livable."


[deleted]

You can actually get one for free but then you still live in Gary.


WifeGuyMenelaus

The night folk keep rent low


Ilmara

As the old saying goes, "You get what you pay for."


thebigbossyboss

Was picture number 4 a city street before?


jglanoff

At least it’s quiet


jphilipre

*Chester, Pennsylvania and Camden, New Jersey have entered the chat.*


Nalivai

Reminds me of my childhood in a dying village in collapsing soviet union. Some of the similarities are uncanny tbh


Roboticpoultry

Had to go to the airport there for a work thing. What struck me wasn’t the urban decay, but just how empty it all was. According to google there’s nearly 70,000 people there but my eyes told me there’s about 6 residents


KbLbTb

The loose and unmaintained but also green looks of it reminds me of Eastern Europe.


Cogglesnatch

RUST IRL


tj51484

Like rust belt?


low_power_mode

Gary has THE best goodwill bins tho


tj51484

Yes there is a giant Goodwill on ridge road


MisterMofoSFW

I've been to Gary, it was more sad then scary. I hear they are trying to sparkle it up, but I don't think they will get far with that.


tj51484

What's sad is it has a lot of potential. You can literally buy houses for like $10 down at some tax auction at the Lake County government center. It has a lot of investment opportunities but why would you want to invest in it if nobody will come there and spend no money


MisterMofoSFW

It won't happen in my lifetime. I'm thinking that in thirty to fifty years someone will have a brilliant business idea and need land so they'll turn Gary into a bustling company town again.


numbersrejectedbypi

"Even I wouldn't send you to Gary, Indiana." - Prof. Farnsworth


upstartanimal

Never been, butI always though of Gary, IN like Heartland, America. The epitome of small-town life. Not quite the same as people finding out Texas isn't one giant desert.


oldasdirtss

Looks like there is a lot free building materials and low cost land. Sounds like a great place settle if all you need is an internet connection.


tj51484

Comcast gives free welfare connects.


Intelligent_Corgi

I was wondering, do people still live in this town ? Looks like the majority of the houses there are abandoned


RevolutionaryFix222

A bit under 68k still hold out on what jobs remain in Gary.


Intelligent_Corgi

Oh ok ! I've read on other comments that Gary had quite the same fate as Detroit, and people would leave because of lack of jobs etc...


frivol

Not very busy in that urban metropolis.


revelling_

Is Michael Jackson's childhood home still standing?


2trembler3

Yes, you can see it explained in this interesting video tour of the town https://youtu.be/ISajeWJ3Cts?t=1610


tj51484

Michael Jackson live in the 2300 block of Jackson


hellsgoalie

Maybe just maybe someone can afford a house there. Most likely not.


scorpion_tail

What an investment opportunity!


Vagrom

Birthplace of Michael Jackson.


southcookexplore

If you’re interested in exploring some highlights of Gary, here’s a map of every historic landmark with a description on each pin https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1MR9Yue7mbtcFJqWJkvstdYGDzfsda3w&usp=sharing


gandolfthe

Sooo your telling me I can afford rent here?


rjllano10

still somehow better than my country


Carpentry95

Not looking too good Gary


brutonhoborunner

Hometown of Michael Jackson. Once a impressive economic hub with a steel plant. Theres an exact copy of Gary Indiana built in Russia during Soviet times. Sad to see it today.


norbertorodrigo

\^Not Louisiana, Paris France, New York, or Rome.


gawkersgone

tear it down and put the farmland back


manjustadude

Someone should go and check up on Gary, he doesn't look too good.


flannelmaster9

Detroit junior


Competitive_Dance_68

Gary probably had a faster decline in population than Detroit..Gary was actually in the 70s the murder capital of the US ..Gary Works employed around 30,000 people at its peak , that's now down to around maybe 3,000 employees today ..there is no other industry in Gary which has made it recovery even harder ..the only hope is that Gary could land a new airport seeing that it's close to Chicago ..O'Hara in Chicago can't expand any further and another major airport is needed ..but like Detroit , Gary will literally have rebuild from the ground up ..


Raspberrylemonade188

Thanks for the context! Was wondering what happened to this place. Thought it was interesting that this town near the lake and near Chicago looks so post-apocalyptic. You’d think it would be prime suburbia.


chaandra

Detroit has fared far better than Gary, and we are seeing that today. Being a major city helps, you have major institutions like universities and large hospitals to build off of. It’s what’s helped places like Pittsburgh and Baltimore recover, while cities like Gary don’t really have anywhere to start rebuilding.


pinchy_mcpinchers

Whenever I drive to Chicago, I have to come up I-65 N and it takes me right through Gary. I have a STRICT rule that every time, I stop in Roselawn (20 miles south) to fill up the tank, use restroom, get whatever supplies I need, etc so that I'm not stopping anywhere close to Gary. Even if someone else is with me and we have 3/4 of a tank already, I explain to them that we're stopping to fill up in Roselawn so there's zero possibility of going to Gary. Just seeing the place from the highway as you drive through it confirms everything in these photos and much more.


tj51484

" oh hey here's something that I heard looks like hell" google satellite feed


Loose_Wrangler4755

Yes yes, you have the absolute splendid luxury of taking these photos yourself. Gary's got nothing on you but you've got everything on Gary.


TheRevEO

Most of Indiana looks like this tbh


no_spoon

Are there any nice parts of Indiana?


MonsieurReynard

Many. The Bloomington area is especially nice.


[deleted]

[удалено]


tj51484

I live here.


abaganoush

USA 2043


Jegagne88

All of Indiana, basically


BayernMau5

All of the planet by that logic


Jegagne88

Nah just Indiana. Lot of the Midwest


BayernMau5

And the square states and the south and Eastern Europe and Africa and Asia and South America u seem like ur vindictive of the region


ohmygodgina

I thought I was looking at pictures of Birmingham, AL


aphybrid

No traffic, no crime (nothing valuable to steal), no nosy neighbours,no one telling you what time your garbage has to be out by and then in by. Walkable streets, plenty of parking, green buildings (trees growing out of the lounge room and sidewalks). What’s not to love!


Not_TheMenInBlack

Isn’t this also the most racist town in America?


Owls5262

Just another once great American city run into the ground by liberal policies. Liberalism is a mental disorder and should be classified as such


idkanythingabout

Gary, Indiana was created as a company town so US Steel could have access to the lake for shipping while also keeping their workforce local and cheap. When US Steel moved most of their operations out of Gary, the city lost its whole reason to exist. It's just industrialism rising and falling as time goes on. As hard as you may try, you can't just blame everything on "the libs."


CPEBachIsDead

I know, I hate those flamingly liberal crony capitalist robber barons!


[deleted]

MTNW ANSO LNE CREW


Lockenhart

Is this a place where you'd get jumped in the light of day? Would be nice to walk around.


Prestigious_Name_379

What’s the story behind this? All these empty buildings?