No Sugar Coating

For all of those wanting the real deal, no b.s., straight up facts... you have to have be confident and aware of your surroundings if you truly want to be a successful pioneer.

Neighborhoods ripe for pioneering have seen the brunt of neglect, crime, and abandoned buildings. Bringing life back to a neighborhood takes a strong group of like minded people who support their community and their neighbors who refuse to be ran out. 

Many inner city 'bad neighborhoods' weren't built to be bad, they were built for convenience. Many these neglected neighborhoods were built to be walkable and close to transportation. Many overlook the fact that economically suffering cities and their neighborhoods have solid bones despite their condition.

The Bad Old Days

Worst row of houses in the neighborhood.

In the 1990's, during the Gary's "Bad Old Days" A.K.A. "The Murder Capital" days pushed many families to move from the city. With few job opportunities, escalating crime, and low scoring schools people fled, leaving swaths of abandoned homes to mother nature.

However, overtime, crime began to leave with the people. My neighborhood is as safe as its ever been since the crime ravaging wave of the 1980's and 90's.

Hope on the Horizon

In the 2000's several homes were renovated and are occupied by new residents. Although the block has deals with the ramifications and stigma of the neighborhood's and city's past there is a sense of calmness and hope as a few new comers settle into the neighborhood.

Like it or not Gary is not going anywhere.
A place cannot disappear forever and have...
One of the world's largest bodies of freshwater in its backyard
Three major interstates bisect its city limits
Commuter rail that links it to the nation's third largest city Chicago, IL



What Typically Happens to a Declined Neighborhood-(From a Resident)

This neighborhood has went through a tidal wave of physical change within the last 10 years. As elders passed on, their children and relatives either...

A. Completely neglected the property to the point of no return.

B. Briefly rented out the property to transient renters who cared very little about the property and neighborhood.

C. Occasionally rent out the property to decent families.

10 Tips For Pioneer Living (Some are now applicable to suburbs, so pay attention!)

A few common sense tips for pioneer living...

1. Never, Never, NEVER buy any electronics and set the boxes the on the curb until garbage pickup.

-What you are doing is advertising to the neighborhood that this new item is in your house and that it is ripe for picking when you are away from the house.

2. Dusk til Dawn lighting porch and back porch lighting.

-CFL bubs are fairly reasonable. The bulbs last for a very long period of time and costs pennies to illuminate.

3. Think twice about the height of your backyard fence.

-If you have an 6 -8' privacy fence, anyone can break into you home's back window's without being caught by neighbors or other possible witnesses. A little food for thought. 

4. Secure your windows.

-Do whatever you feel comfortable with you windows, yet I will say that burglar bars are commonplace. Lately a more appealing option are roller shade shutters. Like these...

5. The T.V. Effect.
-Leave your T.V. on when you leave the house, the sound effect of someone potentially being the house will make invaders think twice about entering your home.

6. Leaving for awhile? Pack at night.
-Most of the time people are out and about during the day, so do you want people to get a hunch that you are going to be leaving your home for a few days? Packing at night will lessen the chance of someone knowing you will be away for a while.

7. Respect the neighborhood and the neighborhood will respect you.
-When people see that you care about the neighborhood, you change perceptions. Cutting an adjacent vacant home or a neighbor's grass occasionally shows your sincerity for the community you live in.

8. Never let strangers into your home to use the phone.
It sounds bad, but use your best judgement. Someone might really need the help but they could also mention to the wrong person how nice your living room's stereo surround sound system is...

9. Speak.
Say hi, acknowledge your neighbors at bare minimum. Reach out to a community rock, someone who has been in the neighborhood for a long period of time that keeps you in the know of whats happening in the neighborhood. It's always ideal to build a network of trusted neighbors that will look after / support you and your property. Never be completely oblivious to your surroundings!

10. Never put yourself in absolute danger.
-If a negative situation occurs use your best judgement. Use your common sense, if you are in danger call the police, call a friend or trusted neighbor. 

"Home Sweet Home?!?"

This is my childhood home in Gary, Indiana's Marshalltown neighborhood. My great-grandparent's bought this house and two others in this neighborhood in the 1950's after moving from the Midtown Section of Gary after living there some 30+ years (Yeah, my family has been in Gary for a good while, 1918 to be exact.).

Great Grandfather Herman Turner and Great Grandmother Ola Mae Souter

Back then the city was 12 years old. Our family has seen the city's infant years, boom years, decline years, and decayed years yet we are still here. Too often we don't stand up for our own neighborhoods, leaving is too easy of an option especially when home ownership has become so low in our community. This blog is about my experience being handed off this home from my mother as my first house. NOTE: I chose to live here just recently Graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a Bachelors degree, at a whim I could have chosen to live in the suburbs but I despise cookie cutter characterless suburbs and urban sprawl! Gary has great access to Chicago via commuter rail and highways, five minutes from the USS Steel Yard, and I live ten minutes away from the lake shore. I hope to show others my reasoning in why living in Gary is possible from a lifelong resident (with street sense which I am more than willing to share with other pioneers) and why living in Gary despite its over talked ills is a great start off for those wishing to live on the cheap and reap all the conveniences Gary has to offer.