Happy 100th birthday to Gary, Indiana, Gary, Indiana. It's hard to imagine any other city having to work so hard to get into a celebratory mood:
A stroll along Broadway, the city's main drag, reveals a once-proud downtown that was seemingly frozen in time. Ornate post-war storefronts have changed little except for the scars of age and abandonment.
Downtown buildings also offer evidence of the nearby steel plants. Most are plastered in dark grit and enveloped in the abrasive smell of sulfur, including City Hall.
"The neglect is palpable," said James B. Lane, author of the book "Gary's First Hundred Years: A Centennial History of Gary, Indiana."
Perhaps most troublesome is the city's interminable image as an axis for crime.
