I'm from Gary. I pray to God that the economy is never destroyed in any of your hometowns. Gary is filled with good people, who do their best to live life despite their socio-economic situation. If I could do it all over again, and choose all of the variables, I would still choose Gary. Thank you for visiting Adam

There are a few streets in Gary that are occupied by Thomas Edison’s concrete houses. 86 were built and about 70 still stand today. They are historically significant and very rare now. You should check them out if you are ever in Gary again.

i left scary gary and never looked back, I don't even like driving through it, I'm all good. Gary used to be a beautiful safe place, now it's a nightmare where you never wake up from. my heart goes out to all the good people that still leave in Gary.

That Palace Theater was like the one in Akron, Ohio that's still operating. It was an atmospheric theater. That means you see a night sky on the ceiling. Complete with moving clouds. The atmospheric ceiling in Akron still works. It opened in 1925 and is an historic gem.

as a retired builder , it saddens me to see all those house decaying --and all that building material not being recycled

Mr Woo, I give you credit for visiting places outside the comfort zone of many. Gary, IN is unfortunately the poster child of a Rust Belt town, a once-thriving town decimated by the flight of the US manufacturing and steel industries overseas. I wish there is a way to revive these dying towns.

What’s crazy is the Jackson’s house shows what those other houses and neighborhoods could, and probably did, look like - if you put in the work to keep it nice. It’s surreal - like a time machine. Thanks again!

"There is beauty in decay." I like that. It makes me sad to see the shape of Gary. I really enjoyed your video.I felt physically ill when you showed the demon house. I could hardly believe the amount of orbs around there. You are a great storyteller. I will subscribe, for sure. Thanks for making this video!

I'm from Gary. My mother grew up on Jefferson street, a block or two from the Jacksons, went to school with Jermaine Jackson. My father use to work at the steel mill. We left Gary in 1987, I use to visit alot because we still have family there. I stopped visiting after my grandmother passed in 2000. Went back to bury my father in 2012 and haven't been back since! A lot of those abandoned homes, unfortunately are hiding a lot of dead bodies of missing people!🙏🏾

My home town. Haven't lived there in nearly 50 years. You need to make another trip to the Miller section of Gary. The difference is striking.

Hello, I was born in Gary, IN and wanted to return and document the state of affairs there. My attempt to get there a few years ago was unsuccessful as I was stuck in Chicago due to the Polar Vortex Conditions. Thank you for such an excellent documentary of this American city.

It’s sad to see the abandoned areas, knowing so many lived there, as an 80’s kid the abandoned malls really get me in the feels.

I remember about 20 years ago there was an advertisement on television depicting deserted neighborhoods in Gary in good repair. They were typical looking neighborhoods with 4 foot chain link fence and decent looking houses. The substance of the infomercial was that you could go to Gary and purchase a house and lot and a good neighborhood for $1.00. A lot of people took them up on the offer. I wonder what happened to all those people.

That sign high above the others at 2:40 has been there since I can remember--literally: my family lived there in the mid-60s when I was two and three and one of my first memories in life outside of my family was that sign, oddly enough. I'm shocked it's still there. Downtown Gary used to be pretty nice back then.

As an Indiana native not from Gary, it is sad to see how dilapidated Gary has become, but as rough as it used to be I think it's in such a good place for a new beginning.

That "Demon House" story is very interesting!!! If I am not mistaken, I believe that the former cult leader Jim Jones (who killed 913 in the jungles of Guyana), also came from Gary, Indiana!!!

Been obsessed with Gary for years, I check in on Google Street view at least once a year to see the changes, make sure the theater is still there. Thanks for the tour, it's hard finding content since everyone is afraid to get out of their cars

Dude don't you ever think for 1 second that people don't appreciate these vlogs. They really do help keep me going and are way better than therapy. However if you need to take some downtime do it. Just know that there will always be an audience for this kind of thing. Godspeed and keep up the good work.

If I stay up north I’m attracted to moving to Gary because people would think I’m nuts. I think it was an amazing town that got the shaft and left with an unfair stigma because of it. It was killed through corrupt bureaucracy. I like an underdog story. I think it will see a revival.

Thank you for taking your time to post what you see and how things are in some towns. Very interesting. I appreciate your effort to show us what has happened. You are showing nothing to get folks upset, just doing good showing what happened. God bless

Thanks Adam for looking at the beauty of Gary. A very respectful and optimistic video.

When I would go back to college after the summer I would go through Gary. I graduated in 2019 so it’s basically the same now as it was then. It always humbled me going through Gary. Hopefully it can rebuild and be what it once was.

My Dad grew up in Chicago during the Depression and THE MUSIC MAN was one of his favorite movies and - Gary Indiana, Gary Indiana, Gaaaary Indiana - still rings in my head.

I appreciate your commentary and the knowledge you have of a lot of the places you go to. I am generally a quiet explorer but I TRULY appreciate the urban explorers who can add answers to the questions a lot of us have about our abandoned jewels around the country.

Fascinating video as to how a town can virtually disappear when their main businesses go elsewhere. Also seeing some history before our eyes is amazing to watch. Thank you Adam and always be safe. ❤️🙏🏻

In Aug 1998, I was driving with my Mom from South Bend, IN to Lansing, IL on I-94. We got tired of the highway & turned off to Gary, IN thinking we could drive down regular streets to reach Lansing. It was eye opening to say the least. The sad uncared for dilapidated homes and poverty everywhere was heart breaking. We drove by the steel mill, which provided jobs for so many in the past, people of all nationalities (immigrants) & cultures worked together for a paycheck for the family. It was still operating but at a very low capacity. It looked & felt like we were passing through a 3rd world country.

The more I see Gary, the more I love Gary the more we need Gary 😆 was not exactly my first thought when I drove through it

The basement was below were I'm standing now and the back of the house was back here. Brilliant!

For those of us that grew up there, life was different. And it's that way in alot of cities. I still have family there and will forever claim it as my hometown ❤️

“There is Beauty in Decay”. I like that ! Also, there is NO WAY I’m standing on the portal to hell 😂😂

I fear Baltimore is getting close to looking like this.

I have been to Gary a handful of times. Live in California but I have quite a few relatives that currently live I Gary, a few live down the street and around the corner from the Jackson's old house. The neighborhood is called Marshalltown.

I got stuck in Gary Indiana in the bus station once. It was scary as can be. A simpler time, the auto industry died and killed these small towns.

I live near Gary and I find the condition of the once proud city, very sad. When things are damaged, they are likely not repaired. Business has fled the downtown area, and there aren't many things to hail there. The steel industry used to be a strong employer and they paid a lot of taxes to help cities like Gary. Now everything has changed and it seems to continue to decline. Maybe things can get better, but it hasn't improved in my lifetime.

Thanks for all the great video tours Adam. You are a great inspiration. RIP Gary. #swervygang Ken

I like how respectful you were of this town and it’s people. A very professional video :)

Garys down fall started in 1964, when Studebaker moved operations to Canada, so many of those closed factories depended on the Auto industry .

growing up in Chicago in the 60's Gary was always added into our news cycle like a little brother city. I remember they had great basketball players

Thank you. I enjoyed the tour. My mother and father lived in Gary Indiana when I was a baby. It looks like it might have been a beautiful little town at one time. What a shame.

I love the way out take us on these tours. It’s so enjoyable to see these places Iwon’t get to visit otherwise wise . So many wonderful small cities and towns in the Midwest . I am particularly taken with all the houses and buildings from past eras. Such a shame to abandon them with all the homeless folk in the big cities who need a house.

The Music Man was all i could think of while watching , love that musical

Hi From Adelaide, South Australia. Really enjoying your videos of the roads less travelled.. America is top on my Bucket List. Cheers!

I came to this video with certain expectations but in all honesty, seeing how nature is reclaiming parts of Gary is kind of beautiful.

I really enjoyed watching this. I was born and raised in Gary and a lot of wat you showed are things I never even paid attention to. Thank you.

Just randomly watched the video where you rode the bicycle down that metal slide and wiped out. Will always remember that forever. And always love you for it Mr. Woo!!!

Get the hell out of there before the sun goes down. That place is no where to play around, its reputation is well-deserved. I'm a truck driver and have been through there many times picking up steel at a mill in East Chicago Indiana.

That was a nice service station, such a waist and such a strange town thanks for uploading

This is heartbreaking. The small town I grew up in had textile mills and they’re all gone so the town has fallen. The mayor is one of our school mates who graduated with us and he’s working to bring some growth back in. It’s sad to see them go down like this. ❤️

I did software work in Gary back in the early 90's. It was a dump back then. There's a steel mill that stretches for hundreds of yards that is completely closed down and deteriorating. Back in the 60's this was a blue collar town, but, still an OK place to live. That's not the case anymore. This is a prime example of how the de industrialized United States is collapsing.

I really enjoy your commentary/perspective. You are very reverent to these places and the people who were inhabitants there. Bravo, please keep up this great work!

I just remember Gary from the Music Man. The song is stuck in my brain right now!

All those little things u did and showed were very important. Even showing Dione. Great job 👍🏾

I remember driving through Gary in the 60's when the steel plants were still going and that city like other steel towns had horrible air pollution, I guess if anything came about from all the jobs leaving and the general decay is the air is now more or less breathable.

Such an interesting presentation of The Empty City. Probably the best I've seen with no sensationalist BS. I'm from the small crowded island that is the UK and we just don't have the space for all this abandonment. We have the opposite problem, too many people and not enough space. Another thoroughly enjoyable video. Please keep up your excellent work and thank you.

I flip houses to investors. I started flipping houses in Gary many years ago. Gary use to be a decent and thriving city back in the 1950's and 1960's. It actually has some very old and beautiful homes, along with some "nostalgic" and very "cool" old buildings. But today, most of the city is just run down to the ground. When we rehabbed houses, we would either pay a homeless person to stay in the house at night or put a pit-bull in the house. Otherwise, we would get robbed blind. They would take copper, electrical wiring, hot water heaters and other items. Not to mention tear the house apart. I stopped offering houses there back in the late 80's.It was way too dangerous. I can't tell you how many times we bought houses and homeless people were living in them. Thank God we can open carry in Indiana! It's a shame that the city is a hell hole. Mayor after mayor have tried to bring the city back but it never happened. It's just too far gone. What a shame.

This is so sad and depressing. Eye-opening. A harsh reality of an unspoken aspect of life in America. Thank you for sharing this. You brought us to places most would never see otherwise.

The Rust Belt is the most interesting place in America. The decaying cities and empty corridors are haunting. Every visit I make to the Rust Belt makes me want to explore more. I hope you stop in Cleveland.

I live near Gary and work in Gary everyday...it's so crazy to think how the town use to be back when my father was growing up. If your ever back in town DM me there's many haunted areas around here that could make good vlogs

I worked my whole life in the steel mills of Gary. Like my father before me, I helped build this land.

In 1994, 95, 96, My brother and I played for a semi-pro football team from Springfield, il. We would travel to Gary to play their team, the Golden Bears, along with Hammond Yellow Jackets, Midway Jets, Chicago Falcons, Lake County Vickings, Racine Raiders and a few others. I have a lot of good memories of that time. Thanks

While sad to see the downfall of some of these cities, I agree with you there is a certain beauty to it all. I think we wax nostalgic for the good old days. And to see some of the relics and mementos it brings it all back to us . Art in ruins you could say. Appreciate your work Adam 👍

Cool episode, especially the antique signs and old buildings, the crow at the end says it all...

bro thank you this is so much better than most of the "LOOK POOR PEOPLE HOW SCARY" videos people always post of this area

Adam! A country in denial we are. Overwhelming uncontrdicted evidence that we have failed in the urban experience. We see the result but the causes are as vast and complicated as the symptoms. The first step is to admit we have failed in this great experience. Much suffering because of it. Gary,Detroit, Chicago, parts of NYC are a testament to this failure.

Your footage from the Demon House along was epic - “Demon House” was such a good documentary, I’m gonna go and watch it again 👍

My older brother went to Tri-State College there in the Sixties majoring in chemical engineering and was on the deans list; he and a friend, Joe Uskurt, attempted to homestead in Alaska but didn’t succeed and also didn’t finish college. I had a friend in Virginia that worked for the Horace Mann insurance company.Thanks for the tour.

Glad to see your channel doing so well especially after COV

Gary very much reminds me of Trenton NJ. Was raised just outside in Hamilton and watched it deteriorate year after year. Pretty much the same situation. Industry left and businesses closed up followed by a chunk of its population. Somehow Trenton continues to limp along.

I was born in Hobart, IN. I also lived in Glen Park for awhile. Gary used to be a beautiful and thriving city. People from all over came to Gary when US Steel came to the area. When most of the steel started to be made overseas, that destroyed the area. When I lived in Gary in the '70's, the area was already going to hell. It's hard to see the area as it is now. I had family there back in the day.

This is the first I've heard about that "Demon House". But I do know about Gary Indiana being an empty city, with whole streets of houses in ruins, or streets where houses used to be. That area at 17:31 looked like Phragmites, which are the invasive Giant Reeds. They grow in wetlands and take over, and crowd out all native species. They can grow up to 15 feet tall, IIRC.

Great video! Thank you ♥️

Gary Indiana is the saddest place I’ve ever been to in my life. The only businesses I saw there were gas stations and places to cash your checks

ADAM Be careful some decayed cities have shut down all services including police and fire in large sections, you could be literally on your own in " no man's land". You could roll up into a situation ripe for robbery or carjacking.. be extra vigilant.

When I was very little, a mean cousin told me there was a man living in the walls of their old farm house named Gary Indiana. I never knew there was such a place until I went to college nearby there. I was educated about this city quickly. Very heart breaking to see these photos, but good you document. Very interesting. Thank you.

Watching from Melbourne, Australia. There is so much about this video that really is haunting. (No pun intended:)) The whole appearance of the town of Gary, and that almost deserted look are both eerily calming, and poetic at the same time. It actually looks beautiful in its own way - and the stark contrast, as you pan from the neighbourhood surrounds to the Jackson house and its grounds, is just surreal! Adding a further sombre feel to the journey: the fact that the "demon house" no longer stands - which I was aware of, having watched Bagans' video of its demolition - is oddly sad. The vacant lot serves as only a reminder of what was formerly, in its unique and unfortunate way, an icon of sorts. On the one hand you have the birthplace of, arguably, the most famous entertainment family in American history, whose architectural monument serves as a reminder of reaching for the stars... Then, on the other end of the scale we acknowledge the former existence of a different kind of home - one that supposedly served to only shatter one's hopes and aspirations. This is absolutely one of the more enjoyable videos I've seen, taking us around Gary and focussing on both the Jacksons' family home and the Devil's family home! ;) Thanks for the awesome tour, mate! From all of us here, in Australia.

I lived in Sauk Village Illinois which is fairly close to Gary, back in the 70's and 80s when it was still pretty decent.We used to go there regularly for different things. My stepmother used to work at Gary National Bank back in the 70s. This is sad to see! This is what happens when things are moved overseas to save a buck. Lives are destroyed because of greed. Very sad. That whole area is a war zone now, even across the border where I grew up in Illinois. My family was lucky, my parents saw what was coming and moved to Southwest Missouri in the early 80's. Glad they got us out of there!

I admire your courage. Tragic history of the fall of the industrial Midwest and the death of a city.

Miller is a thriving community in Gary, IN. You should have shown the beauty of Lake Michigan. From the Miller side, far East you can view the entire Chicago skyline from across the lake. It's my favorite thing to do here

Even in the state it's in Gary is beautiful. I can only imagine how it was when it was vibrant with activity, and would love for that to come again.

I can remember as a kid staying overnight in Gary while on a long road trip. Back then it was disgustingly polluted and the entire family was glad to get out of it early the next day. Even the tap water tasted like it was 25% assorted chemicals.

I used to live in Hammond,IN. My parents would drive us through Gary once in a while. We never had any issues. Cool video!

I enjoyed your video. Yes, there is beauty in decay!

I live 20 25 miles east of Gary, it's sad how it's changed, my father and I worked all over the area back in 70s we worked for Indiana insurance for about 10 years, that's why we spent so much time there, really do miss going to the bars in Gary and hustle pool.

It is so awesome how the trees and grass grow back !!!😃

You and I are kindred spirits. As I travel the US I've taken thousands of pictures of abandoned farms, towns, and such, but Gary appears to be an abandonment mecca. Thanks for the tour. I'll have to pass that way one day.

There is a Sense of peace about Gary, despite the desolation. You took the words right out of my mouth sir "there is beauty in decay".

The tragedy of Gary has been consolidated by time into a living breathing (but just barely) organism composed of frustration and pain that has been abandoned to death and now, mortally wounded, it breathes its last, lost in nostalgia and regret. There is no moral to impart and no lesson to be learned, only a tear to be shed.

I grew up in Bangor PA and in a lot of ways it reminds me of Gary. Very poor with very little opportunity. There are many small country towns like Bangor throughout PA. However, that's where the similarities end. In Bangor you can walk the streets at night, you can leave your car and home unlocked. The crime rate is almost nonexistent. And what's more amazing is just about everyone owns a gun. Hunting is big in Bangor and its not uncommon to see a gun cabinet in most peoples homes. Despite this, there's no gun crime, none. Bangor may be poor, but its extremely safe. Family is strong in Bangor, so is respect for your neighbor and neighborhood. Trust me when I say this, being poor does not lead to criminality. A breakdown of the family and loss of respect to the community is what leads to criminality.

I use to work up near Gary from time to time. It's depressing. The steel mills are just about all closed and there use to be a lot of crime. I worked at B.P refinery when the incident took place with the woman and her family. Hospital workers watched one of the children walk up a wall backwards. I'm glad they all got away from the cursed home. Gary is definitely having some hard times.

It's like time stood still which makes it so interesting. Glad this town hasn't been modernised and look just like every other modern town. Very nice tour thank you

Spectacular as always Adam

1:04 "The People of Gary Welcome You" - and one of those welcoming people ripped off half of the damn sign! The picture is gone from the sign! 1:04 That says it all about the type of city it is. The cops tell people passing through Gary to not even stop at the stop signs cause you'll get robbed if you stop.

Great video as well Adam, thanks for taking us along and documenting these fascinating places and history.

great video ! i knew nothing about gary indiana other than the fact the jacksons were from there. love all the natural vacant lots; and desolation; and it looks like a safe; and unexpensive place to live !

Growing up in Fort Wayne, Indiana I find the "beauty in decay" from these kind of places. I think that's why I've always really been interested in "urban exploration" because even here we have places in similar conditions.

Thought I’d make one more remark to the ones I’m reading. My dad told me this. In the 60’s/70’s his brothers were in management in Detroit car factory’s. They were going to downsize so they went out to different plants and walked through the employee parking lots and counted how many American cars and how many Japanese cars. They would shut down the ones with the most Japanese cars. If they couldn’t support what they worked for they paid the price. Support your local businesses unless you want your town to look like Gary.

It would have been nice if you would have showed the east side of gary (Miller). It is a beautiful area along the shores of lake Michigan.

The steel mills in Gary and the south side closed and the town died. My Uncle use to live west of the mills, in Chicago by Wolf Lake. He worked at US Steel. I was too young to remember exactly where. It was in the 70s.

That was fascinating! I'm in England and all I knew of Gary indiana was in the Music Man movie with Robert Preston. This looks like another old mud flood town found-ed

Born and raised in Gary, lived there over 50 years now reside in Houston. Tx.