Millennium City (School of Hard Knocks)
Millennium City
The city is built upon the remains of Detroit, Michigan, much of which was destroyed in a battle between super powered heroes and villains in 1992. President George H. W. Bush called upon the citizens of Detroit and the United States to pull together in the wake of the tragedy and to move forward into the new millennium. The citizens used the speech as a mandate to reconstruct Detroit bigger and better than before and to do it before the turn of the century. In 1999 the mayor declared the Millennium Project a success. In 2003, the incorporated city of Detroit ceased to exist and was renamed Millennium City.
Millennium City is set apart from other cities in the Champions universe due to its extremely advanced technology. The whole city is surrounded by "The Loop", an intelligent highway. Only cars equipped with Vehicle Control Chips (VCCs) can enter the city, by one of eight gateways, and then they are controlled by a central computer and shuttled to their destination. "Normal" cars are required to park at garages at the gateways and their owners commute or rent VCC-equipped vehicles to drive into the city. Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections abound and most transactions can be conducted electronically.
Many leading companies took advantage of the Millennium Project Tax Abatement plan and relocated or built new offices in the city. Technology and bio-medical companies are the leading industries in the city. UNTIL also maintains a base of operations in the city. The Champions, one of America's primary superhero teams, is headquartered in Millennium City.
