Fighting back the rust

Thirty miles south of Chicago along the shores of Lake Michigan, Gary was known as the "Magic City” in the roaring 1920s for its spectacular growth.

Now times have changed. The city is still home to U.S. Steel's largest plant, but the number of mill jobs has shrunk to 5,000 from 30,000 in the 1970s.

Gary's population in 1960 was more than 178,000, but by 2012 it disintegrated to just 79,000. Some one-third of its residents live in poverty and the home and business vacancy rate is about 35 percent.

Gary also recorded 43 murders in 2012 - three times as many per capita as nearby Chicago.

But the run-down city also has attractions. For one thing, Gary was the hometown of pop start Michael Jackson, a fact which the mayor hopes could attract tourists.

Gary's real estate is also cheap - the Miller Beach neighbourhood attracts Chicagoans who want lake views at lower costs.

Freeman-Wilson, elected last year as Gary's first female mayor, has a plan to get volunteers to help clean up the city block by block.

She is pictured here, wearing an "I love Gary" t-shirt, taking part herself in a neighbourhood clean-up project.

In the shadow of the city’s declining steel industry, big projects have been undertaken in the past to revive Gary, including casinos, a minor-league baseball stadium and the massive Genesis Convention Center.

Freeman-Wilson says she understands why past mayors turned to these larger initiatives. "When you see a convention center, you regain hope.

"I understand that, but I don't want to do that to the exclusion of smaller things."