Gotham City
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What is Gotham?
Gotham is in southern New Jersey, east of Route 9 between Ocean City and Sea Isle City. Gotham is a pretty amorphous term - not quite as confusing as New York, but it's still pretty hard to be sure what someone means when they say "Gotham". They could be referring to Gotham County; or rather, the consolidated city-county of Gotham. That includes not only Gotham City itself, but also the Greater Gotham Metropolitan Area - all the little towns and cities spread about around the place. No matter where you are in Gotham County, it's still the GCPD who pull you over for speeding, and it's the Gotham DA you need to sweet-talk to make sure it doesn't all get too public.
Another alternative is that people are referring to Gotham City. In theory, the term "Gotham City" applies to everything on the island - or rather islands - on which Gotham is built. You'd think that being surrounded by water was a pretty definite and specific geographical boundary, but apparently the US Postal Service disagrees, and in practice all of the neighborhoods and urban areas on the mainland as well - like Bristol and the Palisades, overlooking the city-proper - are lumped under the term Gotham, too.
Neighborhoods
Old Gotham
The main part of Gotham City is split across two pretty damn big islands, connected together by a ton of bridges. The northernmost of these islands is where you'll find Old Gotham. The realtors want us to call it Gotham Heights nowadays to try and push up housing prices, but anyone who has ever lived in Gotham knows the truth. Despite all of the renovation and redevelopment, everyone knows that Old Gotham is the scummier, seedier end of town: not the worst, but far from the shining glass and steel of New Gotham's skyscrapers. Hell, there's even a part of it called Crime Alley, which is where Bruce Wayne's mom and dad got shot; kinda sets the tone.
New Gotham
On the south island - separated from Old Gotham by the Sprang River - is New Gotham. Which, well, is new. And kinda shiny. Well, technically it's two islands, with Finger River slicing through the middle of them. But anyway. New Gotham is where all of the money comes in - where you'll find all the skyscrapers, swanky hotels, big corporations, and all of that kind of stuff. It's where you'll find places like Wayne Tower, the Clock Tower, the Hospital, Police Headquarters, the Courthouse, City Hall... and everything else you'd expect to find in the middle of a big metropolitan area. The place is crammed full of what I'm told are some very high-end and fashionable shops, but since I either get things tailored or send someone else to do my shopping for me - lets face it, ladies: you'd mob me if I went in there in person - I can't confirm that first hand. Also, since what's good enough for New York is good enough for us, we've got Robinson Park right in the centre of New Gotham which, well, is a big sort of central park thing, with a reservoir lake type thing.
The Palisades
Apparently, large stretches of water are no obstacle to urban sprawl. The metropolitan area of Gotham has spilled over onto the opposite bank of the river that separates Old and New Gotham from the mainland (called Gotham River - our city founders weren't all that original, it seems). The people that branched out there in ye olden times however were opportunistic little so-and-so's, and a lot of the old rich colonial types bought up a lot of the land out there, making for some pretty lucrative real estate. Specifically, the term Palisades refers to the sweet cliff action going on to the north of Old Gotham, atop which you'll find the quaint, spacious and leafy suburb of Bristol, as well as Crest Hill: where all the wealthy people like Bruce Wayne have their mansions. However, Gotham is surrounded on all sides (well, three sides, since the fourth is the Atlantic) by all manner of suburbs and coastal locations, including Archie Goodwin International Airport.
Other Islands
Gotham is built on six islands main islands, three of which are taken up by the city-proper. However there are still three more, plus a bunch of smaller ones kicking about the coast. Sandwiched between Old and New Gotham is what initially seems to be a surprisingly underused chunk of land. When you take into account the fact that this island is home to Arkham Asylum however, it starts to make sense why so few people live around there: who wants to be stuck on an island full of whackos, am I right? Some people unfortunately have to: one of the most densely populated - and sleazy - residential areas in Gotham, known locally as the Narrows, is on this island.
Off the south coast of New Gotham meanwhile are the other two main islands. To the southwest is a heavily industrialised island almost entirely owned by Wayne Industries: the heavy industry branch of Wayne Enterprises. As well as various factories for WayneCorp's electronics and aerospace divisions, it is also home to the Tricorner Yards, where Wayne Industries works naval contracts for the private sector and the military. The southeastern island meanwhile is another of Gotham's prison isles, this time home to Blackgate Penitentiary, Gotham's correctional facility for detaining criminals who aren't crazy: just a bunch of lawless, sadistic bastards.
Landmarks
Gotham City General Hospital
It's a hospital. In Gotham City. It is fairly generic.
Gotham City Police Department
Located in an area called Five Points, Gotham City Police Headquarters is - not surprisingly - the headquarters of Gotham City Police Department. A few years ago, there was a massive floodlight with a Batman logo painted on it, so that Jim Gordon - before he was Commissioner - could switch it on and scare the willies out of criminals (and occasionally summon Batman, too), but after the whole incident with Harvey Dent, he had to smash the thing up and sever ties with the Dark Knight. Among various departments that operate out of Headquarters (and various other buildings throughout the city) is the Major Crimes Unit: a team which investigates extreme crimes committed by Gotham's mafia and her multitude of costumed criminals.
Gotham Clock Tower
I'd love to tell you an awesome story about how, in 1955 the Clock Tower was stuck by lightning, and that transported some guy thirty years into the future in a pretty sweet-looking car. Unfortunately, I can't. All I can tell you is that, well, it's sort of a Clock Tower. Someone should totally turn it into a superhero hideout or something.
Gotham Museum of Antiquities
One of Gotham's many museums and public attractions, the Museum of Antiquities is home to various collections of artwork and historical artifacts. Among the many specialists employed by the museum is archaeologist Carter Hall.
Gotham Public Library
In addition to one of the most impressive selections of literature on the eastern seaboard, Gotham Public Library's special collection contains various rare and historical books available for research.
The Docks
On the east coast of New Gotham are the Port Adams dock: an extensive hub for the transfer of cargo used extensively by Wayne Shipping. The region is heavily industrialized, and boasts an extensive warehouse district; though some disused buildings have been transformed into some of the hottest venues on the Gotham club scene. The Gotham mafia and various other underground elements are known to make use of the region, and though unconfirmed there are rumours that Batman has a secret base hidden in the area.
Robinson Park
As Gotham grew into a sprawling city, and the richer land owners began to buy up broad areas of the undeveloped land around the Palisades, city developers realised the importance of maintaining an area of open space within the city limits for use by the public. The area now called Robinson Park was one of several areas designated for that purpose. Over eight hundred acres in size, Robinson Park includes a large reservoir, numerous public attractions including the Wayne Botanical Gardens, and is bisected by Finger River.
Wayne Foundation Building
The headquarters of the Wayne Foundation, this building is located in central New Gotham. The various stories provide offices for the staff behind the Robert Wayne and Martha Wayne Foundations, which provide grants and funding for medical research and for art and culture respectively. Additionally, the building contains a free medical clinic - one of many across the city operated by Wayne Medical, with funding from the Robert Wayne Foundation - a gallery that regularly showcases local Gotham artists, and several function rooms for fundraising events. The penthouse apartment is kept by Bruce Wayne as his place in the city, though the charming and charismatic Oliver Queen is currently resident. There is also a secret sub-basement below the building used by Batman, which I know absolutely nothing about.
Wayne Tower
The most impressive structure in Gotham, right at the heart of the city, Wayne Tower is a hub for Gotham's transport and utilities networks, as well as the headquarters of Wayne Enterprises and various subsidiaries. Within the tower are the offices of Wayne Industries, Wayne Technologies, Wayne Pharmaceuticals, Wayne Foods, and Wayne Entertainment. There are also various labs and research facilities for WayneTech, in addition to facilities the company has around the city.
Businesses
- Gotham Gazette
- Monarch Theater
- Queen Industries
- Sherwood Florists
- S.T.A.R. Labs
- Wayne Enterprises
Other Locales
- Arkham Asylum
- Blackgate Penitentiary
- Brentwood Academy
- Slaughter Swamp
- Wayne Manor
- The Batcave
Groups
- The Police
- The Mob
