Where in the world is Gotham City?

[Nickswitz]

I know that Gotham City was made to be a generic big city, but I was watching the Original Batman, and in the last scene I noticed that Alfred got into the car on the wrong side. So where is Gotham City supposed to be then? None of them have severely notable accents, so I'm truly unsure of where it's supposed to be.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

In the comics, IIRC, it's in New Jersey.

[Lazar]

I believe Striker is correct. According to wiki:

In a 1970s edition of "Ask the Answer Man", a column that ran occasionally in DC publications, it was stated that Metropolis and Gotham City were adjacent to New York City, across the harbor from each other. That same column stated that Star City (the home of Green Arrow) was in Connecticut, Flash's Central City was in Ohio, and Hawkman's Midway City was in Michigan. An earlier issue of DC's fanzine Amazing World of DC Comics, however, clearly stated that Metropolis was located in Delaware, while Gotham was placed in New Jersey. The Atlas of the DC Universe role playing game supplement, published by Mayfair Games, also claims that Metropolis is in Delaware.

However, Christopher Nolan says that his Gotham is based on Chicago (where the two most recent movies were filmed). In the Nolan films, cars have Gotham State plates.

[Nickswitz]

Right, I know that it was based in the US somewhere, however, if you watch the Nicholson/Keaton one they are driving on the wrong side of their cars... So wouldn't that mean that they were on the other side of big blue?

[Captain Seafort]

Right, I know that it was based in the US somewhere, however, if you watch the Nicholson/Keaton one they are driving on the wrong side of their cars... So wouldn't that mean that they were on the other side of big blue?

Most of the world drives on the wrong side of the road, including the US, so that wouldn't be much use in figuring out where it was set.

[Nickswitz]

No, they were driving on the side of the road the Brits drive on.

[Captain Seafort]

No, they were driving on the side of the road the Brits drive on.

Ah, so they were driving on the correct side of the road. That doesn't narrow it doesn't all that much:

Red- wrong side, blue - correct side

[Lazar]

I just checked, and the Tim Burton movie was filmed at Pinewood Studios in England, which would explain why they were driving on the left. Batman is obviously intended to be in the US, so they were probably just hoping you wouldn't notice.

[stitch626]

Huh, I always figured it was New York City, since it is an island (at least half of the time).

[Tsukiyumi]

No, they were driving on the side of the road the Brits drive on.

Ah, so they were driving on the correct side of the road. That doesn't narrow it doesn't all that much:

Red- wrong side, blue - correct side

No, see, blue is obviously not the correct side.

[Mikey]

Huh. "Gotham" is an old nickname for New York City, so I always figured it was an analogous Eastern seaboard port city. Jersey makes sense, then. It could be the DC version of Bayonne or Newark.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

There's an old joke that Gotham and Metropolis are really the same city. It's Metropolis during the day and Gotham at night.

[Nickswitz]

Huh. "Gotham" is an old nickname for New York City, so I always figured it was an analogous Eastern seaboard port city. Jersey makes sense, then. It could be the DC version of Bayonne or Newark.

This is always what I've heard.

[Tyyr]

I'd always figured that Metropolis was New York and Gotham was Chicago.

[Nickswitz]

For some reason I thought it was the other way around, Metropolis being Chicago, and Gotham being New York City. not sure which was supposed to be which now that I think about.