Gary-New Duluth
Two company-era river towns that people now treat as one, and the service center for the far west end.
Gary-New Duluth is the far western end of Duluth, eleven miles southwest of downtown along the St. Louis River. Two separate company-era communities that people now treat as one, it holds the elementary school, the community park, the tavern and the cafe that serve this whole end of the city. It is the only Far West Duluth neighborhood with enough sales to publish a median, and at roughly $207,000 it is among the least expensive ground in Duluth.
Everything about Gary-New Duluth
Each part of the Gary-New Duluth guide has its own page. Start anywhere.
Gary-New Duluth is the neighborhood that makes the rest of the far west end work.
HistoryGary and New Duluth were founded separately, about twenty years apart, and both by outside capital betting on industry at the head of the lakes.
CharacterGary-New Duluth feels like a small river town that happens to sit inside a city, which is more or less what it is.
Who lives hereGary-New Duluth is a predominantly owner-occupied neighborhood with long tenure and a wide age range, and the household mix reflects what the place offers and what it asks.
HousingGary-New Duluth offers close to the most house per dollar available inside Duluth city limits, and the stock is more varied than the price suggests.
SchoolsGary-New Duluth is in Duluth Public Schools (ISD 709) and shares the west-side pathway with Morgan Park and Fond du Lac, with one important advantage over both.
Parks & recreationThe community park is the anchor and it punches well above the neighborhood's size. Gary New Duluth Park, at 801 101st Avenue West beside Stowe Elementary, carries a community center, a skate park, two soccer fields, a dog park, a multi-use sport court, outdoor basketball and pickleball, a pavilion, a gazebo, picnic areas and a ...
Restaurants & diningThe Commonwealth Avenue strip is small, unpretentious and genuinely the social infrastructure of this end of the city.
Churches & worshipThis is a car neighborhood and there is no honest way to soften that. Downtown Duluth is about 22 minutes, Miller Hill about 20, Superior about 22 and the airport about 26.
Safety & feelGary-New Duluth reads as a quiet, low-density residential neighborhood with a small active commercial strip and very little through traffic away from the highway.
Daily lifeA weekday here starts with a drive for most working adults, and that is the defining rhythm of the neighborhood.
Local loreThe neighborhood is named for Elbert Henry Gary, the founding chairman of US Steel, which makes it a namesake cousin of Gary, Indiana. Gary and New Duluth were founded about twenty years apart, by different investors, for different reasons, and were only bundled together later by common usage and road signs. New Duluth was promoted ...
Is it right for you?Gary-New Duluth suits households that want the most house and land per dollar available inside the city, with a real neighborhood around it, and who have made peace with a twenty-minute drive to nearly everything.
How Gary-New Duluth scores
Is Gary-New Duluth right for you?
You'll love it if
- Among the lowest entry prices in Duluth, with a published median around $207,000 and price per square foot near $145 against a citywide figure closer to $186.
- The only Far West Duluth neighborhood with enough sales volume to publish a median at all, which makes it far easier to price than Morgan Park or Fond du Lac.
- A genuine neighborhood park with a community center, skate park, dog park, soccer fields and a community garden, actively rebuilt by a resident-led organization.
- The elementary school is inside the neighborhood rather than a bus ride away, which is not true of the rest of the far west end.
- Flat river-valley ground makes winter driving substantially easier than on Duluth's hillsides.
- Trail, river and ski access on three sides: Mission Creek, the Waabizheshikana river corridor, Magney-Snively and Spirit Mountain.
Look elsewhere if
- About a twenty-two minute drive to downtown and roughly the same to a hospital, and there is effectively one road in and out.
- Transit service is minimal, so a household here needs a car per working adult.
- The two published price figures disagree: a recent month at $207,000 and up, against a trailing year at $180,500 and down. The market is small enough that neither settles it.
- Manufactured housing is a substantial share of the stock in this part of the city, and it finances, appraises and insures differently from a site-built house.
- Groceries, pharmacy and hardware are five to six miles away in Spirit Valley or West Duluth.
- Very little new construction, and the older stock carries the full pre-1978 inspection list.
If you like Gary-New Duluth, also look at
Directly northeast, the concrete company town built by the same industry, and the neighborhood this one's history is inseparable from.
Fond du LacSouthwest across Sargent Creek, older and thinner, with no store or school of its own.
Spirit ValleyThe nearest full commercial center, about five miles northeast, for groceries, pharmacy and hardware.
DenfeldThe high school neighborhood and the west side's best-value housing grid.
OliverAcross the St. Louis River in Wisconsin, a small village with a different state's tax structure.
Recent coverage of Gary-New Duluth
The village's road and rail link across the St. Louis River shut to traffic for scheduled inspection work.
Related: Fond du Lac
An opinion column arguing that a vacant building on the neighborhood's commercial street could anchor a grocery store for the west end.
Related: Fond du Lac
Dozens of residents turned out for the neighborhood's annual Memorial Day observance.
Related: Gary New Duluth Park (park) Gary New Duluth Community Center and Recreation Area (GND REC) (organization)
Headlines link to the original publisher. We summarise and attribute, we do not republish. Last checked 14 Aug 2026.
Common questions about Gary-New Duluth
Is Gary-New Duluth one neighborhood or two?
Historically two. Gary and New Duluth were separate communities and older residents still distinguish them. Local signage and everyday use now treat them as one place, which is how this guide handles it.
How much do homes cost in Gary-New Duluth?
The most recent monthly median was $207,000, up 2.5 percent year over year, but the trailing twelve months came in at $180,500 and down 6 percent, at about $145 per square foot (Redfin, accessed 2026-08-13). The neighborhood is small enough that one month is not a trend, so price from actual comparables.
What schools serve Gary-New Duluth?
Duluth Public Schools (ISD 709): Stowe Elementary, which is inside the neighborhood at 715 101st Avenue West and enrolls about 245 students, then Lincoln Park Middle School and Denfeld High School (NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-2025, accessed 2026-08-13).
Why is it called Gary?
After Elbert Henry Gary, founding chairman of US Steel, who announced in 1907 that a steel plant was coming to the area. He is also the namesake of Gary, Indiana.
How long is the commute to downtown Duluth?
About 22 minutes, with Miller Hill around 20 and the airport about 26. Highway 23 is effectively the only route, so plan for that in bad weather.
Are there mobile or manufactured homes in Gary-New Duluth?
Yes, and it is worth knowing before you shop. Across the Census tract covering this end of the city, manufactured and mobile homes are about 26 percent of housing units. They finance, appraise, insure and resell differently from site-built houses, and whether a unit is titled as real property or personal property decides what loan you can get.
Where these facts come from
- Redfin, Gary-New Duluth neighborhood housing market accessed 2026-08-13
- Wikipedia, Gary - New Duluth accessed 2026-08-13
- Destination Duluth, Gary-New Duluth neighborhood accessed 2026-08-13
- City of Duluth, Gary New Duluth Park accessed 2026-08-13
- GND REC, Gary New Duluth Community Center and Recreation Area accessed 2026-08-13
- RENEW Church Duluth accessed 2026-08-13
- Trophy Cafe accessed 2026-08-13
- NCES Common Core of Data 2024-2025, ISD 709, via the Urban Institute Education Data API accessed 2026-08-13
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year 2023 estimates accessed 2026-08-13
- Duluth Police Department, 2025 Annual Report accessed 2026-08-13
Last reviewed 2026-08-13 by Guide editorial.