In 1837, this settlement grew where the rail line from Chattanooga connected with Georgia's southern rail lines from Savannah, Macon and Augusta; it was the "end of the line" for the Western & Atlantic Railroad.

what is the term?

This was Terminus. In the future, this location became known as Atlanta, as it is today. This was the location of the "zero milepost" that was staked in north Georgia as a way of starting the railroad. Over time, the land around this area had become a settlement and was incorporated into a town by 1847.