Gary, Indiana

Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 69,093 at the 2020 census, making it Indiana's eleventh-most populous city. The city has been historically dominated by major industrial activity and is home to U.S. Steel's Gary Works, the largest steel mill complex in North America. Gary is located along the southern shore of Lake Michigan about 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Chicago. The city is the western gateway to the Indiana Dunes National Park, and is within the Chicago area. Gary was named after lawyer Elbert Henry Gary, who was the founding chairman of the United States Steel Corporation. U.S. Steel had established the city in 1906 as a company town to serve its steel mills. Since the 1970s, Gary and other Rust Belt cities have lost a high number of people as the steel industry has gone through restructuring and manufacturing jobs moved out of the United States. As a result of this economic shift, the city's population has declined 61% since the 1960 census. Although initially a very diverse city, Gary currently has one of the United States's highest percentages of African Americans. Between 1970 and 2010, Gary had the nation's highest Black population per capita. The city has a legacy of African-American cultural and historical accomplishments. In 1945, Gary was the first city in the Midwest (and one of the first in the United States) to fully integrate its public school system. It elected the country's first Black mayor, Richard Hatcher in 1967, and in 1972 hosted the first and largest National Black Political Convention. World-famed singer Michael Jackson is from Gary. Gary is served by the Gary/Chicago International Airport, an alternative to the Chicago region's two larger airports. The city's public transport is provided by the Gary Public Transportation Corporation...