Gary, Indiana - Home of Thomko Petro Chemical
City on the Rebound. . . . GARY is the Hub of Northwest Indiana
Gary is located just 35 minutes from Downtown Chicago, and is often called the suburb of Chicago.
Chicago's O'Hare Airport offers free shuttle service to Gary Chicago International Airport, which is now called Chicago's third airport.
The city of Gary offers the Majestic Star Casinos, Gary Steelheads Basketball, Gary Railcats Baseball, Genesis Convention Center, Museums, Theaters, Golf Courses, Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation System, the famousIndiana Dunes, and 51 Parks.
The City of Gary is located at the southern end of Lake Michigan and covers 50 + square miles, in an area called the Calumet region, or the Chicago suburbs in Indiana. The region includes five counties that neighbor Chicago, Illinois and Lake Michigan, including Lake, Porter, La Porte, Newton and Jasper.
The region includes not only a large group of Chicago suburbs, which are in Lake County, such as Merrillville, Highland, Munster, and Schererville, but also a number of cities whose economies are linked to Chicago's.
The largest city in the region is Gary; other cities include Hammond, East Chicago, Valparaiso, Portage and Michigan City.
Located on the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan, and easily accessible by three major interstates, Gary provides the perfect location for a beach weekend getaway, business trip, or a casino night on the town.
Budget conscious travelers to the Chicago area have long known that lodging in Gary, and the surroundings cites of Merrillville, East Chicago-Indiana, Hammond, Valparaiso, Portage, and Michigan City offer a greater savings on lodging, and easy access back to the Chicagoland area.
The region is noted for its heavy industry. Gary, Portage, and East Chicago are home to major steel mills; the region is also the home of refineries, other metals industries, and heavy manufacturing.
THE INDIANA DUNES - Recognized as a national treasure by U. S. Congress
The Indiana Dunes extend along the lakeshore from Gary to Michigan City, Indiana, and covers over 12,000 acres of natural splendor. The Dunes offer swimming, fishing, hiking, picnicking, and horseback riding along the sandy beaches of Lake Michigan.
The poet Carl Sandburg said the Dunes "are to the Midwest what the Grand Canyon is to Arizona, and Yosemite is to the California region".
The Dunes offers forests, woodland hiking, and miles and miles of sandy beaches. Residents and visitors alike get an opportunity to learn about ecology and environmental science at the Paul H. Douglas Environmental Center, located at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
Other interesting places to visit at the Dunes include the Bailly Homestead, which offers a look at pioneer and Native American life, and Brunswick Park Savanna, a 49 acre park which features rare plants, tennis courts and picnic areas.
Lake Etta Park is the premier park area that offers over 70 acres of open space with a stocked fishing lake, fishing pier, concession, swimming beach, playground, picnic shelters, walking trails, and paddle boats. Gary has 51 other parks, including North Gleason Park, Marguette Park and Beach, and Wells Street Beach.
GARY, INDIANA - LAKE COUNTY CASINOS
Beautilful Lake Michigan provides the backdrop for Las Vegas style action in Lake County.
Four casino boats feature 6,500 slot machines, 250 table games, four-star dinners, dinner shows and other live entertainment.
Majestic Star Casino docked in Gary, Indiana
At Bluffington Harbor, in Gary, you'll find two great casinos, the Majestic Star Casino, and Majestic Star II (formerly the Trump Casino owned by Donald Trump).
Majestic Star (shown at left) offers over 40,000 square feet of action, while the Majestic Star II Casino offers over 50,000 square feet on one level.
Resorts East Chicago Casino & Hotel, located in East Chicago, Indiana offers a Mardi Gras atmosphere with 49,000 square feet.
You can head on over to Hammond, Indiana and visit the Horseshoe Casino with 43,000 square feet of gaming and entertainment, and then visit the popular Jack Binion's Steakhouse for a fine dinner.
Although, not in Lake County, here's another fine Indiana casino located in Laporte County.
Blue Chip Riverboat Casino, located in Michigan City offers 52 table games, and over 1,700 slot machines, and is one of the best Indiana Casinos. Just south of the Indiana/Michigan border, Michigan City, Indiana is located on the southern shore of Lake Michigan, and 60 miles east of Chicago.
Lake County's four lakefront casinos are docked, so you can board anytime! Due to Indiana law, all casinos must be docked
GARY, INDIANA SPORTS TEAMS
The Steelheads Basketball team was started in February 17, 2000 which Isiah Thomas, then owner of the Continental Basketball Association, granted a franchise to Gary, Indiana.
Less than one year later, Isiah Thomas took the head coaching job with the Indiana Pacers and NBA rules forced him to sell the league. The Gary Steelheads then joined the International Basketball League. In the 2003-2004 season, the team made the CBA playoffs for the first time in the history of the franchise.
The Genesis Convention Center is home to the Gary Steelheads Basketball Team. Over 90% of the arena's 6,000 seats are located between the baskets, and fans always have the best basketball views.
Genesis is located in downtown Gary, just 35 minutes from the Chicago Loop. All vendors are local and offer fans anything from pizza to deli sandwiches to hot dogs and popcorn.
The center was all decked out in its finest when it hosted the Miss USA Pageant in 2001 and 2002. The pageant was televised live on CBS television, and the whole country got a chance to see the venue and its amenities.
The South Shore and South Bend Road commuter train lines serve Genesis Convention Center with a stop just across the street - fans then access the arena through an overpass, entering the arena through the parking garage.
Ratings were good in Northwest Indiana and the Chicagoland area, and the team has received exposure on Chicago TV stations, including appearances on CLTV's Sports Page.
The Gary RailCats are the professional minor league baseball team serving Northwest Indiana and Chicago's south suburbs, and have drawn 300,000 fans in their first two home seasons.
The RailCats are members of the Northern League, with 12 teams scattered throughout eight Midwestern states and two Canadian provinces. Some players are rookies, while other players are extending their baseball careers after reaching the major leagues. The Northern League is considered to be the second most competitive, next to the major leagues.
GRASS, BRICK, STEEL, FUN!
The U.S. Steel Yard, Home of the Gary RailCats. The Steel Yard is a state-of-the-art facility for minor league baseball.
Named "Best New Ballpark" by the Chicago Magazine - 18 Luxury Suites; a Bennigan's Restaurant; a retail store; the SouthShore Depot; huge video screen scoreboard; large picnic area and party decks; kids area complex with playground; 5,700 comfortable seats; well lit - secure parking areas; FREE trolley service from parking lot to the front gate.
GARY, INDIANA BEACHES
Gary has many recreational beaches
Lake Street, Marquette Park and Wells Street are the most popular.
All offer breathtaking panoramas of Lake Michigan with golden sand shorelines.
GARY CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Chicago's 3rd Airport!
Strategically located, the Gary/Chicago International Airport offers convenient access to Chicagoland, popular destinations in Northwest Indiana and key business centers across the U.S.
FREE, Secured Parking at Gary Chicago International
Over 800 secured spaces guarantee easy access from your vehicle to the boarding terminal available at NO COST to you. 24-hour security provided by the Gary Police Department.
Friends of Gary Chicago International Airport Becoming a Friend of the Gary/Chicago Airport is really like joining an exclusive club. Exclusive in that you have joined forces with your fellow citizens to make a real difference in the economic development of the region today and for future generations. GARY INDIANA HISTORY Gary is part of the Calumet District, which was once one of the nation's greatest steel-producing areas. In 1906, it was the site of the main plant of the U.S. Steel Corporation.
Gary has been known as the Steel City, also City of the Century. It was incorporated in 1905 as the new home of United States Steel, taking its name from chairman, Elbert H. Gary, just like in the song from "The Music Man." Statue of Elbert H. Gary, the Founder shown to the left
In 1600, Marquette, the great French explorer who was one of the first explorers of the Mississippi River, used the Calumet Portage between the little Calumet regions. Tradition has it that Marquette camped at the eastern mouth of the Grand Calumet River where Gary's Marquette Park is now dedicated in his honor. In 1896, Octave Chanute completed the world's first successful flight in a heavier-than-air machine. The French native and famed bridge and railroad engineer first flight in a glider off windswept dunes. Orville Wright later credited Chanute with building the prototype of the plane the Wright Brothers flew four years later, using a motorized engine for the first time on the sands of Kitty Hawk.
Gary is part of the Calumet District, which was once one of the nation's greatest steel-producing areas. In 1906, it was the site of the main plant of the U.S. Steel Corporation.
Gary has been known as the Steel City, also City of the Century. It was incorporated in 1905 as the new home of United States Steel, taking its name from chairman, Elbert H. Gary, just like in the song from "The Music Man." Statue of Elbert H. Gary, the Founder shown to the left
Many well-known entertainers have used Gary as the entry point to the American dream and gone on to be known throughout the world:
Entertainers as the Jackson family; Football's Tom Harmon; Hank Stram; Gerald Irons; Track star Lee Calhoun; Actors Karl Malden; Alex Karras; Fred Williamson and William Marshall; Ex-world Champion boxer Tony Zale; Metropolitan Opera's James McCraken; Baseball's Charles 0. Finley and Ron Kittle; Astronaut Frank Borman; Sports Announcer Bill Fleming; Economist Nobel Prize winner Paul A. Samuelson; Gymnast Dianne Durham; Armed Services General Hall; Rhodes Scholar Carlton Long; and Basketball's Dick Barnett.