Du Pont

Du Pont is the capital city of Region 3 and holds most, if not all, of Region 3's residents. It is one of the largest dome cities in the U.S., ranking 19th. Once a booming industrial center, Du Pont is a city the years have not been kind to. Economic collapse, criminal violence, and bureaucratic apathy have taken their toll. It’s nice enough in the downtown, where the money’s settled in and a few companies and media outlets still hold the fort and keep the city running. However, if you venture too far out and get yourself lost—you enter the badlands. Where you can get shot just for wearing (or being) the wrong color in the wrong neighborhood. Abandoned buildings, trash and urban debris in the streets, and gangs stalking the pavement are as common as birds in the spring. Some see it as sad; others may be frightened; but for those who live here, it’s just the way things are anymore.

Du Pont Government
The government in Du Pont is run by a mayor, the nine-member Du Pont City Council, and clerk elected on a nonpartisan ballot. Du Pont has a "strong mayoral" system, mirroring its predecessor Detroit, with the mayor approving departmental appointments.The council approves budgets, but the mayor is not obligated to adhere to any earmarking. The city clerk supervises elections and is formally charged with the maintenance of municipal records. City ordinances and substantially large contracts must be approved by the council. Municipal elections for mayor, city council and city clerk are held in years following presidential elections.

Demographics
Du Pont is the 19th largest in the Federalist US, with over 700,000 people. Since the economic collapse and a strong spread of urban decay, however, many have abandoned ship and no-one is quite sure where it stands now. Income is, of course, badly divided between the “good” and “bad” parts of town, and extremely high taxes do nothing to help that. For every three residents, one lives below the poverty line. The big earners earn big and haul out to the suburbs, and everyone below is left scrambling for scraps in the projects.

Racially speaking, the city is 82.7% black or African American, 10.6% white, 6.8% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% Asian and 5.62% from other races. Du Pont remains one of the most segregated cities in the United States, having suffered hard from corruption and redlining during the era of Jim Crow laws.

Transportation
With a criss-crossing hub of roads, railways, and ports, Du Pont is a nexus of transportation in the United States. On a more local basis, you have the bus system providing a downtown loop and connections to other routes around the city.

Though Amtrak still provides service to Du Pont, the railway system is unfortunately otherwise broken down. The old train station is abandoned and full of squatters, and mostly, only commercial trains come and go from town.

Crime
Du Pont has the highest rate of violent crime of any large city in the FBI’s UC reports, and is increasingly competitive for the highest murder rate in the United States. Unsurprisingly, about 65 percent of homicides in the city are gang-related, and the crime is unevenly distributed; much of it comes from certain neighborhoods and hardly ever touches the “safer” parts of town.

It’s uncertain exactly what has caused the Du Pont crime rate to get so high, and many disagree on the theories. Poverty and economic depression, combined with urban blight, an increasing demand for drugs, and a long-standing gang culture within the city are all blamed for the “Decline of Du Pont,” but reasons and justifications are thrown every which way. And that goes double for any proposed solutions.

Still, if you avoid the wrong parts of town, there’s no need to be afraid in Du Pont. It has plenty of tourism still going around, after all. But you can’t live there long-term and avoid the criminal element forever.