Which Real-World City Is Gotham City?

[mongoose-mania]

Okay. I was thinking a while ago about how people in Chicago say Chicago's the next Gotham City, but that's only because they filmed The Dark Knight there. I live in Philly, and I say it's Philly because we've got a pretty high crime-rate. Others might say New York City, for obvious reasons. But what do you think? Which real-world city could actually be Gotham City?

 

[Edes]

I think that Lima (Peru) is a very gothic city :

 

[BlueLightning]

It has been stated that Gotham City was based in New York City. In early Batman stories, he operated in New York, then it was given a more accurate name.

Since then it has been stated that while Metropolis is New York by day, Gotham is New York by night.

 

[Tree27]

I'm from up north and alot of New Yorkers I know, that aren't into comics in the least, reffer to NYC as "Gotham" alot.

And NY has the acsents and the mod,....well, so does Chicago,.....****ing a.

OH! I got it! In my Spiderman/Batman comic! Spiderman is in NYC, and he's very close to gotham acording to the comic,...I pic NY.

 

[Yurka]

Philly??? WTF????

Its Chicago for sure, after B 89' came out I always thought of New York as Gotham, but now its definately Chicago.

 

[Tree27]

Well, didn't they film the first one in chicago?...I can't remember, but if they did,...yeah,...that would explain it, heh. X)

 

[lemmasaurus]

I know that New York City was originally Gotham (by night!) but I think it's much more like Chicago. Not just because I live there :V

 

[Majik1387]

It's New York. I'm pretty sure it's been proven many times.


People are only saying Chicago because that's where BB and TDK have had filming.
Don't understand where Philly fits in.

 

[CFE]

Batman '89 was filmed at Pinewood Studios in London on a Backlot, and "Returns" was shot at both Warner Bros. and Universal Studios/Backlots in Burbank...so both of Burton's Gothams were entirely fabricated.

"Batman Forever" and "Batman & Robin" had segments of their Gotham's shot in both New York and Los Angeles, with some Studio/Backlot work to fill in gaps.

"Begins" and "TDK" had their Gotham's primarily shot in Chicago with additional shooting in the Cardington Hangar outside of London for locations such as the Narrows.

As far as picking an actual urban metropolitian city that feels like Gotham City, you really can't. Picking a real world city would either be based on the film versions, which are obvious...or the comic version, which is so over the top Gothic that it can't be pinpointed to just one city.

As far as a flesh and blood Gotham is concerned, since the city itself is such a caricature that it could never be real...I'd have to pick the one that visually looks the most like Gotham...one that would've HAD to have been replicated, which really only boils my choices to Burton's Gothams...and I would say the Gotham represented in B89 is as close to a flesh and blood, tride and true "Gotham City" as you could ever get.

And that said...I can't choose a real world city that could best substitute for Gotham...

CFE

 

[SuperFerret]

New York City is Gotham, at least in name. However, I've long (and by long I mean even before Begins and The Dark Knight) felt that Chicago was more in line with what Gotham City is in the comics. Gotham always seemed cold and windy to me.

 

[mongoose-mania]

It's New York. I'm pretty sure it's been proven many times.


People are only saying Chicago because that's where BB and TDK have had filming.
Don't understand where Philly fits in.

Philly is a huge, dirty city with one of the largest crime-rates in the country. You can't turn on the news without hearing about a teenage kid being murdered. It's sad.
We've also been voted the ugliest city in the US. Yep, ugly.

 

[lemmasaurus]

Lawl. You can't turn on the news anywhere anymore without hearing about some kids killing each other... And I like the idea of Chicago's real-world mafia history, with the mob activity in Gotham.

 

[Paste Pot Pete]

Geographically, it's located in the NJ/NY area. It has actually been referenced (at least once that I'm certain of) as Gotham City, New Jersey.

Given that, I would parallel it to Newark, NJ.

It all makes me very proud as a Jersey boy. t:

But, for all intents and purposes, it really is NYC. It was even supposed to actually be NYC originally, before Kane (or whoever it was) decided that Batman should be in a fictional universe.

 

[Maximus One]

detroit

 

[8bitouji]

The New York/ Chicago ideas seem the most plausible, to me, though since Gotham is indeed a fictional city it's likely to be a mix of them and others.

This is similar to Metropolis, which was originally based on Toronto in the 1930's (I'm from there and even I'm lol'ing), and then taking on facets of New York City, Chicago, and even Vancouver. Nowadays people just assume it's New York and get on with life, though.

 

[Nadirno]

I remember this discussion a long time ago, and though I don't remember the source, It's always been in the back of my mind that it was modeled after Chicago - perhaps for the comics, or maybe the TV show. But I agree, it probably is a composite of many cities, or an ideal of many cities.

I compare it to how Terry Gilliam described the time period of "Brazil". His response was "It takes place everywhere in the 20th century."

 

[DAMU RYDER]

well if u talking about what city represents gotham like the comics, than of course new york. But where im from, and raised i gotta say LA. youll get killed just by wearing the wrong hat out here.

 

[Spidey-Bat]

Gotham was based off of Newark and New York City so I'll say New York.

 

[d2112]

I'd say Philly could make a case as far as crime rate and political corruption. Although the new mayor and police chief seem to be bringing hope back to the city. Philly's been dealing with violent cop killings in recent months too...something Mr. J would fully endorse I'm sure.

 

[ross2287]

I pick Pittsburgh.
Because that's where I live.

 

[DaveBham1982]

There is a village over here in the UK called Gotham.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&h...2.871617,-1.205235&spn=0.046005,0.102482&z=13

That is the link to a google map that shows it. Supposedly it got its name hundreds of years ago when all of the villagers pretended to be mad to get out of paying any taxes to the kind. As they were "playing the goat" (pretending to be mad) the town ended up being called Gotham. Not sure how it got to Gotham but must have come from Goatham or something like that.

I cant remember who but a famous writer when he visited New York supposedly nicknamed New York City as Gotham because he believed everyone who lived there was mad. And the Gotham nickname as stuck in some circles. Bob Kane set Batman in NYC originally and changed it to Gotham for some reason. I guess because then your not constrained by real locations and can make it up to suit the story.

 

[William_C]

New Jersey isnt up there? Put those buildings and architect from those first pictures, those Lima, Peru buildings in Detroit and thats Gotham City imo

 

[CTC B4Z]

Um, Chicago. . . All the license plates in BB are Illinois plates. . .

 

[TruerToTheCore]

it's New York, New York's nickname IS "Gotham City". And that's also were the first Batman stories took place.

Heck, there is a "Statue of Justice" in Gotham.

 

[lemmasaurus]

Well, it could be argued that they're just Gotham plates--but they have the same design and color scheme as the Illinois plates.