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[heisinme09]

Michael Jackson theme park planned for Gary, Indiana
by Joel Bullock (RSS feed) on Jan 22nd 2011 at 9:00AM

A Michael Jackson theme park has been planned for the late Pop star's hometown of Gary, Indiana. The developers announced that the theme park will be part of a larger $1 billion project that will also include a museum, golf course, 300-room hotel, and a performing arts center. Spokesperson Odie Anderson shared that they hope to break ground later this year.

The theme park and surrounding attractions will be built out in phases over the next decade beginning with the museum. Eventually, the park will include rides from Jackson's Neverland Ranch and a roller coaster themed after his mega hit "Thriller". I would have thought that a Micheal Jackson theme park would have sprung up out of the remnants of the Neverland Ranch in California. But, a park in Indiana has the advantage of being closer to more of the country's population which will give more visitors a shorter trip to the park.

http://www.gadling.com/2011/01/22/micha ... y-indiana/

My thoughts? Neverland can't be a theme park because perhaps Michael is living there?

[naomifury]

This is so wild :D I hope it gets as big of a deal as Disney World...yeah, it might take a while, but that'd be really cool.

[RunFaYaLife]

Oh REALLLLY!

Man someone(s) are cashing in on MJ's name as much as they possibly can.

[bec]

BS article. They been talking about this complex to be built forever. They recycle the same article with a different title every so often. It's been called a casino, a resort, and a mall in the past. Now it's a "theme park" and has MJ's name attached to it.

FACT: Gary is a broke, defunct, derelict city. It is over 50% burned out and abandoned. It has almost no economy, the average annual income is about $12,000 which is the poverty line in the US. You have to understand... no one wants to go to Gary and no one wants to live in Gary. No one even wants to drive through Gary and you simply do not after dark. Gary is dead to the rest of the country. It is a modern day ghost town. If you want to see what the country would look like after the apocalypse and humans are wiped out, go to Gary. So when an article runs like this, it's really pretty much a joke.

You'd have to see it to understand what I mean. Gary is a special place, and unique in the country, but no one is going to invest this kind of capital in Gary.

I have been to Gary a few times, and I will go back as soon as the weather improves here, but I never go alone and I always proceed cautiously.

[katy (MJFAN7)]

Hm, maybe MJ really did mean it when he said he can't return to Neverland. This is Michael's new home, maybe. I'm really looking forward to it. Gary's only about 11 hours by car from where I live. :D

[bec]

MJFAN, you brought up a good sideways point. No one is going to invest money in Gary building a place like that except... someone with a lot of it to burn and a sentimental interest in the town, perhaps.

Which is about the only thing that would save that town. It's in dire straights. There's a lot of poor disadvantaged people trapped there. Kids growing up trapped there and trapped in the cycle of poverty that comes with it.

The south side of Chicago is very close to Gary, also Detroit; two areas plagued by the same socio-economic conditions as Gary.

Interesting.

[RunFaYaLife]

I have been to Gary a few times, and I will go back as soon as the weather improves here, but I never go alone and I always proceed cautiously.

Sounds like nothing has changed after all of these years....
No wonder big bad Joe was so worried about his kids getting into gangs and drugs and stuff.

[paula-c]

bec wrote:

BS article. They been talking about this complex to be built forever. They recycle the same article with a different title every so often. It's been called a casino, a resort, and a mall in the past. Now it's a "theme park" and has MJ's name attached to it.

FACT: Gary is a broke, defunct, derelict city. It is over 50% burned out and abandoned. It has almost no economy, the average annual income is about $12,000 which is the poverty line in the US. You have to understand... no one wants to go to Gary and no one wants to live in Gary. No one even wants to drive through Gary and you simply do not after dark. Gary is dead to the rest of the country. It is a modern day ghost town. If you want to see what the country would look like after the apocalypse and humans are wiped out, go to Gary. So when an article runs like this, it's really pretty much a joke.

You'd have to see it to understand what I mean. Gary is a special place, and unique in the country, but no one is going to invest this kind of capital in Gary.

I have been to Gary a few times, and I will go back as soon as the weather improves here, but I never go alone and I always proceed cautiously.

Thanks, good information for people who do not know United States