When Casie Stone graduated from Emerson High School in Gary, Ind., in 2009, she left to attend college at Indianapolis University-Purdue University in Indianapolis. She received her degree in marketing and supply chain management last August, but doesn’t have plans on returning to her Lake County hometown any time soon.
“There are better job opportunities here. And my mother doesn’t want me to come back because of all the things that are going on there. Things are just different in Indianapolis,” said Stone.
She says she’s able to have a more fulfilled life while living in the Hoosier state capital. If she were to ever move back home, she’d have to travel to Chicago to seek her fun.
“I will always love Gary, but when I go back, it’s literally just to visit family and friends,” Stone said.
Attacking the problem
Ask a native where they’re from and they’ll proclaim with pride and confidence, “I’m from Gary,” “I’m from G.I.” or “I’m from ‘The G.’” Despite their strong love and affection for their hometown, like Stone, many Gary residents have fled the city to other parts of Indiana, most notably Indianapolis.
Research shows common causes for residents’ exodus are primarily the lack of jobs or lack of well-paying jobs. Other reasons include crime, lack of basic neighborhood resources such as grocery stores and Gary residents’ general indifference to positive change and personal growth.
Karen Freeman-Wilson, mayor of Gary, knows residential flight is an issue, but also thinks it’s natural for people to move away from their homes to forge a new life in different places. Yet, she says when your hometown has challenges, like Gary, it makes other cities more desirable.
This is something Freeman-Wilson is looking to change.
“It’s not the Gary you wanted to move away from. We are doing positive things here,” said Freeman-Wilson, who also spent considerable time away from Gary before returning. In 2011, Freeman-Wilson became the first woman to lead the Steel City and the first Black female mayor in the state of Indiana.
Changes include the University Park plan, which is a project in conjunction with Indiana University Northwest and Ivy Tech Community College. Additional education space; a mixed use building; and a retail development along the Broadway Avenue corridor is part of this plan. This plan will also serve as the anchor to the Glen Park neighborhood revitalization.
Freeman-Wilson said the city is collaborating with multiple state and federal agencies to also revitalize the northside of Gary, which includes the downtown area and the community of Miller that encompasses the lakefront.
“The demolition of the old Sheraton Hotel in that area, will be symbolic of a new day in the City of Gary. We are removing blight and clearing spaces that will provide opportunities for developers,” said Freeman-Wilson.
Tamieka Cox-Graves believes Gary neighborhoods are an aspect that make the city so special.
“My life growing up compared to that of my children’s was very different. Growing up in Gary, it was very communal. You’re proud of your neighborhood, your school. You knew your neighbors and they became a part of your family. I haven’t experienced that while living in Indianapolis,” said Cox-Graves, who is a graduate of Horace Mann High School and has lived in Indy for 13 years.
Mayor Freeman-Wilson is also proud of the progress that’s been made at the Gary/Chicago International Airport. This week, the Gary/Chicago International Airport Authority voted to approve a historic 40-year privatization deal for development and airfield operations at the lightly-used airport. Aviation Facilities Co., a Dulles, Va.-based company won the exclusive right to develop and manage the airport.
When it comes to jobs, Freeman-Wilson said with any new development that has taken place or is to come, jobs are at the forefront. She cites a newly-opened truck stop on Grant Street, of which 80 percent of its workers are Gary residents.
She said she is addressing crime through her comprehensive plan that includes more jobs, quality public education for students, parenting programs, addressing Gary’s food desert problem and other initiatives.
Despite all of the changes and people positively representing the city, one thing she’s had difficulty doing is changing people’s perceptions. Freeman-Wilson maintains that every city has its issues and that Gary is no different, but growth has been generated.
“I like taking people to Gary. Many of them have never been there – they have just heard bad things about the city and whenever I have the chance, I show them the good things that rarely get shared,” said Carolyn Mosby, president of the Mid-States Minority Supplier Development Council, who moved to Indy in 1990 after her mother, state Sen. Carolyn Brown Mosby passed away.
Welcome back
No matter how many friends and associates, Vernon Williams, vice president of communications for Indiana Black Expo, has made in the 13 years he’s lived in the Circle City, Gary is always “home” to him. When he visits, he’s saddened by the blight that remains, but is encouraged by the new economic developments.
“The economic base of the city remains a work in progress. But there’s a feeling of optimism that the revival of Gary’s economy remains a possible dream,” said Williams.
Tavonte Hughes, currently lives in Indianapolis, but isn’t waiting for big change to come to Gary before he moves back – he wants to be a part of the change right now.
After living for a year in Chattanooga, Tenn., post college at Purdue University, Hughes really wanted to move back to Gary, however he encountered several barriers which forced him to move to Indianapolis.
Despite these factors, he still has his sights set on moving back as soon as he can. In the meantime, he visits often and while there, looks for inspiration for city and neighborhood growth. He’s also developed a program he hopes will aid in Gary’s revitalization progress.
Hughes’ vision is called True Vine, and is an environmentally-friendly apartment community that generates its own water and electricity source. He hopes resource sharing and business development will boost a greater sense of community.
“Through actions people will see that Gary still has a wonderful frame to be built upon with tons of potential,” said Hughes.
