Listen Live

GARY, Ind. — A few new investments in the city of Gary in Lake County has the mayor confident that the perception of Gary is changing.

Mayor Jerome Prince acknowledges the perception that Gary has had over the last couple of decades as a less than desirable place to live in Indiana, but he tells Inside Indiana Business that he feels that people are starting to think twice before riding off the city.

The city has seen decades of economic decline ever since its boom years as a steel hub of the world in the 1950s. Growing competitiveness globally in the steel market forced many steel mills in Gary to close in the 1960s forcing hundreds of Gary residents out of work.

“There are promising signs that people are taking a second look at Gary,” he said. “We’re doing everything from our side to make it more attractive and more conducive to people wanting to relocate here.”

The city is welcoming a couple of big investments from companies planning to move to Gary, such as Akyumen Industries, which is a smartphone manufacturer based in California. The company says they are planning to uproot their operation in Illinois and move to Gary.

Prince added that it’s even more promising that Akyumen did not ask for many incentives to relocate there.

“One of the things we need to do is redefine what we’re known for in our industry,” Prince said. “And we believe we can do so chasing, or a least pursuing, technology initiatives such as Akyumen.”

Adding to the pile, according to Prince, will be the arrival of the Hard Rock Casino which he says will be located right off the interstate in Gary and will help draw more people to spend money in his city.

Between Akyumen and Hard Rock, there will likely be as many as 2,200 new jobs in Gary in the next year.