Gary is a city located along the Tug Fork River in McDowell County, West Virginia, United States.

The former coal towns of Elbert, Filbert, Thorpe, and Wilcoe became part of Gary at the time of its incorporation in 1971.

[7] During the early 1940s, Gary Hollow, named for Elbert Henry Gary,[8] produced around a quarter of the amount of coal mined from McDowell County, as well as a quarter of the coal used by U.S. Steel during World War II.

[7] At the time, the town boasted a large number of African American miners and began integrating the school system in the 1950s.

[9] Beginning in the 1970s, Gary's unemployment rate began to increase after most of the high-quality metallurgical coal had already been mined.

[7] Former mayor, Charles Hodge claimed that U.S. Steel failed to make an effort help the city.

[7] In March 1983, the unemployment rate rose to 90%, the highest of any town in the United States.

[7] Two years later, the now demolished U.S. Coal and Coke Company Store at Ream was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

[10] In July 2003, U.S. Steel announced that they sold their remaining assets to PinnOak Resources.