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Man who's visited every US state reveals worst American city which 'should be avoided at all costs'

Home> News> US News

Updated 13:34 15 Nov 2025 GMTPublished 17:16 14 Nov 2025 GMT

Man who's visited every US state reveals worst American city which 'should be avoided at all costs'

Jonathan Thompson is a travel journalist who has visited all 50 states

Lucy Devine

Lucy Devine

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Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Photo

Topics: US News, News, Travel, Crime

Lucy Devine
Lucy Devine

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A man who has visited every state in the United States has revealed the one place to be avoided no matter what.

Jonathan Thompson is a travel journalist who has spent 10 years living and working in the US.

During this time, he's been able to visit all 50 states across the country, getting to know the best spots, and perhaps the ones not to bother with, too.

But there's one town in particular that Jonathan is passionately against visiting, describing it as 'the absolute worst' and one that should be 'avoided at all costs'.

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Of course, after visiting all the states, Jonathan also has some recommendations about the places you should be going to, revealing the likes of Santa Fe in New Mexico, Juneau in Alaska, Bend in Oregon and Portland in Maine should all be added to any traveller's list. However, there are places to skip, too, thanks to high crime rates. For example, Clovis in New Mexico and Pahrump in Nevada.

Jonathan has visited all 50 states (Getty Stock Photo)
Jonathan has visited all 50 states (Getty Stock Photo)

Yet there's one city that Jonathan felt compelled to place right at the bottom of places to visit in the US.

"The absolute worst spot? It has to be Gary, Indiana," Jonathan explained.

"A post-industrial, semi-deserted hellscape with potholes the size of bomb craters. It should be avoided at all costs."

Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana and is the state's 11th biggest. It's home to Gary Works, the largest steel mill in North America and has a population of around 70,000.

It's also known for being the birthplace of the Jackson family, including, of course, Michael Jackson.

Jonathan suggested avoiding Gary, In Indiana (Getty Stock Photo)
Jonathan suggested avoiding Gary, In Indiana (Getty Stock Photo)

In fact, the Jackson family home tends to attract visitors and fans who want to take pictures and selfies outside of the property.

Some locals, however, have warned against wandering around the area after dark.

Last year, a father and daughter who had been visiting the Jackson home were attacked at gunpoint.

Oasia Barnes was found guilty of 18 charges, including rape, kidnapping, criminal confinement and armed robbery.

Michael Jackson's childhood home in Gary (Roberto Galan/Getty Stock Photo)
Michael Jackson's childhood home in Gary (Roberto Galan/Getty Stock Photo)

The father and daughter had been visiting the home when Barnes approached them, pointing a gun into the 16-year-old girl's ribs and forcing the dad to drive somewhere secluded.

He then took the girl out of the car before disappearing with her. The father ran to a nearby property and called the police.

Barnes was found with the girl hours later, who told the police that he had forced her to perform sex acts at gunpoint.

Barnes was sentenced to 164 years in prison for his crimes.

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