Originally established as an inland port situated at the beginning of the navigable portion of the Muskogee River; railroads, highways and finally a world class airport have all helped to establish Terminus City’s status as a major transportation hub and center of commerce in the American Southeast. Much of the city’s history, including even its name, has been defined by this status, during the American Civil War the young city served as an important railroad and military supply depot before becoming the target of a major Union offensive. Burned to the ground and devastated by the war, its continued importance as a hub of commerce and the leadership of Mayor John Carpenter Morehead saw that the city was rebuilt to grow to become one of the centers of the New South.
Today, Terminus City is sometimes considered a poster child for cities worldwide experiencing rapid growth and urban sprawl but the city has recently been commended by bodies such as the Environmental Protection Agency for its eco-friendly policies. Due to the ease of transporting criminals in and out of the city, the Federal Detention Center for Super-Powered Criminals has recently been established at a closed down military base south of the city. University Square on the city’s western edge is home to four notable schools of higher learning, the Terminus Institute of Technology, a predominant engineering and research university and three prominent Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)- Terminus State University, Morehead College (male only) and Villard College (female only). Partly as a result of this high concentration of colleges and universities, Terminus City has become a top business city as well as a major financial center; the city serves as home to a number of corporate headquarters and a number of regional banking and financial services companies are located in the downtown financial district. The city is also home to a thriving music industry with the success of a number of local artists and labels branding Terminus as an established scene for top labels to set up satellite offices.
Despite all this shine, Terminus does have it’s problems. Crime is ranked well above the national average and has been a major problem for the city since the middle 20th century. Most of the city’s crime is centralized in most of its southern neighborhoods with the historic south side area having fallen into a state of urban decay. Efforts at redevelopment in these neighborhoods have caused numerous conflicts and political gamesmanship has tied up any positive movement.