City of Gary, Indiana
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): City in Motion, City of the Century, GI, Magic City of Steel, The Steel City, The "G"
Motto: We Are Doing Great Things
Location in the state of Indiana, USA
Coordinates: 41°34'51?N 87°20'44?W? / ?41.58083, -87.34556
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Lake
Founded	1906
Government
- Mayor	Rudolph Clay (D)
Area
- Total	57.26 sq mi (148.3 km²)
- Land	50.23 sq mi (130.1 km²)
- Water	7.03 sq mi (18.2 km²)
Elevation	577 ft – 600+ ft (175.87  m – 180+ m)
Population (2006)
- Total	97,715
- Density	2,045.6/sq mi (789.8/km²)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	46401-46411
Area code(s)	219
FIPS code	18-27000[1]
GNIS feature ID	0434979[2]
Website: http://www.gary.in.us/

Gary is the largest city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is located in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is approximately 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population was 102,746 at the 2000 census, making it the fifth largest city in the state and the largest city statewide that was not a county seat. Gary was once the second largest city in Indiana, a position now relinquished to Fort Wayne. It borders Lake Michigan and is known for its large steel mills, high crime rate, and liberal political leaning, with one study rating it the second-most liberal city in the United States.^[3]

[edit] History

The city was founded in 1906 by the United States Steel Corporation as the home for its new plant. The city was named after the chairman of U.S. Steel, Elbert H. Gary.

Among U.S. cities with a population of 100,000 or more, Gary has the highest percentage of African-American residents (as of the 2000 U.S. census). Gary had one of the nation's first African-American mayors, Richard G. Hatcher, and hosted the ground-breaking 1972 National Black Political Convention. At the same time, Gary suffered from many affluent and middle-class residents leaving Gary and relocating to the surrounding towns and cities. Because of the loss of jobs in the city, many people left the area altogether for regions with employment.

Gary's fortunes have risen and fallen with those of the steel industry. In the 1960s, like many other American urban centers, Gary entered a downward spiral of decline. Gary's decline was brought on by the growing competitiveness in the steel industry, which had caused U.S. Steel to layoff many workers from the Gary area. Crime increased, including use and trade in illegal drugs.

U.S. Steel continues to be a major steel producer, but with only a fraction of its former level of employment. While Gary has failed to re-establish a manufacturing base since its population peak, two casinos opened along the Gary lakeshore in the 1990s. Today, Gary faces numerous difficulties, including unemployment, major economic problems, and a high rate of crime, though the city has made some progress in addressing these issues since the 1990s.

Meredith Willson's 1957 Broadway musical The Music Man featured the song, Gary, Indiana, describing Gary Conservatory as the alleged alma mater of lead character Professor Harold Hill ("Gary Music Conservatory, Class of '05!"). The joke in Hill's claim, of course, is that the City of Gary wasn't founded until 1906. Wilson's musical, set in 1912, later was the basis of two movies made years apart.

[edit] Recent history

Three-term Democratic Mayor Scott King resigned from office in March, 2006, citing a desire to return to private law practice, and the financial rewards involved therein.^[4] Then-deputy mayor and former Calumet Township Trustee Dozier T. Allen Jr. became acting mayor, pending a formal election by local Democratic party officials. On April 4, 2006, local officials chose former Lake County Commissioner and King rival Rudolph Clay to fill the remaining 21 months of King's term.

After celebrating its 100^th year in 2006, the city of Gary finally shows evidence of rebound from years of economic depression. Many buildings that have been left vacant for years are now finally slated for demolition and development.^[5] Many new homes have been built through the HOPE VI grant from HUD.

The Gary Chicago International Airport has recently secured nearly 100 million dollars in grants and private donations. The FAA approved GYY's master plan which includes the expansion of runways, land acquistition for a larger terminal, an integrated transportation center, and provision for a third runway. The first part of the plan requires that the EJ&E line, which runs at the end of the runway, be relocated.

After being at the top (or very near the top) of the list a few times, Gary was rated the 17^th most dangerous city in the United States according to Morgan Quitno's 2007 analysis of crime rates (City Crime Rankings, 14^th Edition), down from 10^th highest in the 2006 edition. This is indicative of the progress Gary has made in reducing crime since the 1990s.^{[citation needed]} The city recorded 51 homicides in 2006, a 13.5 percent decrease from the previous year. In 2007, Gary had 71 homicides — almost a 40 percent increase over 2006.

Dallas-based HomeVestors of America released their "Top 10 Markets for Real Estate Investing" list on 9 December 2006. Gary earned the number one position on this list, which represents activity of investors who purchase homes below market and then sell.^[6] Also, Forbes Magazine recently listed Gary 39^th on their Top 100 Best Cities for Jobs in 2008. The ranking was up from 89^th in 2006 and 84^th in 2007.^[7]

In March, 2008 the Chief of Police, Deputy Chief and a police sergeant were all indicted by the federal court for violating the civil rights of a Gary resident.

[edit] Geography

Gary is located at 41°34'51?N, 87°20'44?W (41.580786, -87.345449).^[8] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 57.2 square miles (148.3 km²), of which, 50.2 square miles (130.1 km²) of it is land and 7.0 square miles (18.2 km²) of it (12.25%) is water. The city sits on the southern end of the former lake bed of the prehistoric Lake Chicago, and the current Lake Michigan. Most of the city's soil nearly one foot below the surface is pure sand. The sand beneath Gary, and on its beaches, is of such high quality that in years past it was mined for the manufacture of glass.

Gary is "T" shaped,^{[citation needed]} with its northern border on Lake Michigan. At the Northwesternmost section Gary borders Hammond and East Chicago. The town of Miller Beach, considered by Gary to be its easternmost neighborhood, borders Lake Station and Portage. Gary's southernmost section borders Hobart and Merrillville.

[edit] Climate

Gary, like Chicago, has a variable climate. In July and August, the warmest months, high temperatures average 84 °F (29 °C) and peak just above 100 °F (38 °C) and low temperatures average 63 °F (17 °C). In January and February, the coldest months, high temperatures average around 29 °F (-2 °C) and low temperatures average 13 °F (-11 °C), with at least a few days of temperatures dipping below 0 °F (-18 °C). The weather of Gary is greatly regulated by its proximity to Lake Michigan, as it sits at the lake's southernmost point. Weather varies yearly. Tornadoes strike annually, though the city has generally avoided major damage. In summer months Gary is quite humid. The city's yearly precipitation averages about 40 inches. Summer is the rainiest season, with rainfall of short duration and very loud, drawn-out thunderstorms. Winters vary but are predominantly snowy with regular blizzards. Snowfall in Gary can average 24 to 36 inches per winter, but sometimes large blizzards hit because of "lake effect snow," a phenomenon wherein large amounts of water evaporated from the lake deposits onto the shoreline areas inordinate amounts of snow.

[edit] Climate Chart

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 102,746 people, 38,244 households, and 25,623 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,045.5 people per square mile (789.8/km²). There were 43,630 housing units at an average density of 868.6/sq mi (335.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.03% African American, 11.92% White, 0.21% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.97% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. 4.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 38,244 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.2% were married couples living together, 30.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the city the population was spre