Former Major Midwest City Is Now a Semi-Abandonded Wasteland

[rangerrebew]

 
Former Major Midwest City Is Now a Semi-Abandonded Wasteland
Story by Kathleen Joyce • 3h ago
 
Many of us are fascinated by ruined and abandoned places, but urban explorers actually dare to go inside the decrepit, forgotten places that no one else will explore. Still, even the most daring explorers are usually limited to singular properties- it's very rare to find entire city blocks abandoned.

Yet that's exactly what urbex vlogger @decayingmidwest found when he traveled inside what used to be one of the Midwest's most thriving cities. Once a major industrial hub, now some 13,000 of this city's buildings sit desolate and abandoned.

Click here to watch the video.

Not even an hour's drive southeast from the center of Chicago sits Gary, Indiana, a semi-apocalyptic shell of its former self. Originally founded in 1906, Gary, Indiana wasn't always the way it is now. During the middle of the 20th century, Gary was a booming steel town and a hub for the United States Steel Corporation. Domestic steel workers and newly-arrived immigrants flocked to the city for its economic opportunity, and during the 50's and 60's, Gary was thriving enough to rival other major industrial hubs like Chicago and Detroit. So how did this once-thriving center of industry collapse into the semi-abandoned "Murder Capital of America?"
 
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/offbeat/former-major-midwest-city-is-now-a-semi-abandonded-wasteland/ar-AA1ayqV5?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=7b86d9d513ee493d96b84926684a84d2&ei=13

[rangerrebew]

  So how did this once-thriving center of industry collapse into the semi-abandoned "Murder Capital of America?"
 

I think it died when Michael Jackson died.   

[DefiantMassRINO]

Gary was a one horse town, and that horse died years ago.

Indiana, as a Republican state, should be able to apply tradtional Republican policies to re-invent Gary, especially as Chicago and Illinois implode.

[GtHawk]

Gary was a one horse town, and that horse died years ago.

Indiana, as a Republican state, should be able to apply tradtional Republican policies to re-invent Gary, especially as Chicago and Illinois implode.

Just like South Bend when Studebaker went under it rotted, and out of that rot came the ugly fungus known as Buttjigger.

[bigheadfred]

Sounds like a good destination place for 'immigrants'.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Up until a few years ago, I did labor negotiations out there.  What a freaking hole. 2:30 on a weekday afternoon, driving down the main drag, and there literally wasn't another car or person in sight.  Weird as hell.

I was management, but I always respectful to the employees so they were pretty friendly.  One time we finished up late, and I was getting ready to leave the union hall and drive home.  I asked "I need to stop somewhere for gas, is that station on the corner decent", and the guys all started saying "No!  You can't go there!  Don't go to anywhere in the city.  Just wait until you're about 10 miles down the road and go there."

I took their advice.  Lol.

[bigheadfred]

Up until a few years ago, I did labor negotiations out there.  What a freaking hole. 2:30 on a weekday afternoon, driving down the main drag, and there literally wasn't another car or person in sight.  Weird as hell.

I was management, but I always respectful to the employees so they were pretty friendly.  One time we finished up late, and I was getting ready to leave the union hall and drive home.  I asked "I need to stop somewhere for gas, is that station on the corner decent", and the guys all started saying "No!  You can't go there!  Don't go to anywhere in the city.  Just wait until you're about 10 miles down the road and go there."

I took their advice.  Lol.

Puts a new spin on getting robbed at the gas pump.

[roamer_1]

Up until a few years ago, I did labor negotiations out there.  What a freaking hole. 2:30 on a weekday afternoon, driving down the main drag, and there literally wasn't another car or person in sight.  Weird as hell.

I was management, but I always respectful to the employees so they were pretty friendly.  One time we finished up late, and I was getting ready to leave the union hall and drive home.  I asked "I need to stop somewhere for gas, is that station on the corner decent", and the guys all started saying "No!  You can't go there!  Don't go to anywhere in the city.  Just wait until you're about 10 miles down the road and go there."

I took their advice.  Lol.

Too bad... I remember Gary from the late 70's, and spent time there with friends often.

[libertybele]

Sounds like a good destination place for 'immigrants'.

 

[Hoodat]

At least the unions got everything they demanded.

[Lando Lincoln]

Before I retired, I sometimes had meetings at the Horseshoe Casino in Gary. I have no desire or reason to ever go back.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

At least the unions got everything they demanded.

Little bargaining story here.  My marching orders from my client -- a subcontractor -- were to be very fair.  The limitation we had was that if we paid too much, and had to ask the main company for more money, they'd simply put up the contract for bid to the lowest bidder and the company - and the employees - would all be out of work.  Anything we could do to make things better without getting to the point where we thought we'd lose the job, we'd do.

One year, though, it just wasn't going well because a new higher-up in the union decided to come to the bargaining session and got really aggressive.  Finally, I said  - in front of all the members of the bargaining committee who were employees - "well, now I know why this plant only employs 6,000 instead of 45,000.  You must have handled those negotiations too."

Guy actually tried to come across the table at me but let his guys hold him back.  That was fun.

[Hoodat]

My wife has a relative who is a big union guy.  Back in 2008, he caused a huge rift in the family by announcing he was voting for Obama (which is straight up blasphemy in North Florida) because he the Democrats had union's back.

I asked him about three issues.  First, I brought up China's entry into the World Trade Organization.  I asked him if that hurt union workers.  He said it did.  I then asked him if giving China 'Most Favored Nation' trade status hurt union workers.  He again said it did.  I then asked him how he felt about NAFTA and whether that was good or bad for the union.  He declared that NAFTA was destroying union jobs.

I reiterated the three issues and pointed out to him that Democrats gave him all three.  So how is it that Democrats have the union's back?

He still voted for Obama that time, but by 2012 had come around.  There's still a rift in the family though.  The one thing we are all prejudiced against is stupidity.

[Cyber Liberty]

I've been through Gary back in the early 70's and it was a stinky mess back then.

[Fishrrman]

After the red/blue breakup, Indiana should "cut off" the top 10% of the state, and hand it over to "the blues". Will take care of a lot of problems.

Might work for Illinois, as well..?

[Smokin Joe]

I've been through Gary back in the early 70's and it was a stinky mess back then.

You could still see the brown dome over the city in the late '70s.
Yes, from a distance the air was that bad.