About this city
Also known as: The Magic City
Gary is a historically robust, heavy industrial port city located along the scenic southern shores of Lake Michigan in Lake County, northwestern Indiana, seamlessly bordering Chicago. Founded in 1906 by the United States Steel Corporation as a purpose-built manufacturing powerhouse named after company chairman Elbert Henry Gary, it exploded into a prominent crucible of early 20th-century steel production. Gary holds international cultural fame as the proudly birthplace of the iconic Jackson 5 and music legend Michael Jackson. Surrounded by the rare sand dunes of Indiana Dunes National Park, it features a striking gritty landscape of industrial giants, historic architectural landmarks, and coastal wetlands.
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Practical Tourism Metadata
Suggested stay: 1 day
Visit and photograph the humble historic childhood home of music icon Michael Jackson at 2300 Jackson Street. Relax on the sandy shores or explore the historic bathhouse museum at Marquette Park Beach. Hike past unique interdunal wetlands and pristine sand slopes inside the Gary section of Indiana Dunes National Park. Tour the grand, haunting ruins of the historic Gary Methodist Church.
