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 Clocktower
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 Clocktower, owned by history professor Carter Hall. 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
Though Gotham has many newspapers, the Gotham Gazette is widely accepted to be the classiest; though that's about as much of a compliment as winning a caveman beauty pagent. The Gazette at least tries to hold itself to higher standards of journalism, and while it's not quite as high brow as broadsheets like the Daily Planet, it is at least less trashy than its major tabloid counterpart, the Gotham Globe. The Gazette is owned by Wayne Entertainment, a subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises.
Monarch Theater
Originally owned by Robert Queen (founder of Queen Industries), it used to be that Monarch Theater was one of the only good things left in Old Gotham; that was until Thomas and Martha Wayne were murdered in the streets after leaving an opera performance. Association with the death of one of Gotham's civic heroes proved to be the death of the theater as well, and it closed, falling into a near-derelict state. The criminal underworld moved in, and for a time it was thought to be a hub of illegal activities of sorts. However, the criminals were eventually cleared out by the Batman, allowing Bruce Wayne to approve a sizeable grant from the Martha Wayne Foundation to have the theater completely restored.
Queen Industries
Though originally founded in Star City, Queen Industries moved it's head offices to Gotham more than two decades ago, following the death of founder and original CEO, Robert Queen. The move was thought by many to represent a fresh start on the part of the new company President, William Glenmorgan, severing ties with the Queen legacy as much as possible. Predominantly an electronics and technology firm, Queen Industries is a direct rival to Wayne Technologies (a Wayne Enterprises subsidiary), and the two businesses regularly compete for government contracts. Prominant Gotham businessman Roman Sionis is the current CEO.
Queen Industries is secretly a front company for the government agency Checkmate.
Sherwood Florists
A small, independent floral store in Bristol, founded back in the seventies. The original owner sadly passed away; Sherwood Florists is now run by Carter Hall, an archaeologist and employee of the Gotham Museum of Antiquities, though he seldom staffs the store himself. The florists' founder was the biological mother of Gotham Gazette reporter Dinah Hall; Carter's adopted daughter.
Wayne Enterprises
A massive conglomerate of businesses unified under a single banner, Wayne Enterprises is arguably the corporate titan of Gotham, responsible for the majority of industry in the city, as well as providing a number of public services - often free. Wayne Enterprises itself is primarily an umbrella for over a dozen subsidiaries, covering everything from electronics and biotech technologies to aerospace, mining, steel and chemical industries; pharmaceuticals, healthcare, entertainment, and much more. Though Bruce Wayne serves as President of the Board, much of the day-to-day running of Wayne Enterprises and its subsidiaries is overseen by Lucius Fox, the company CEO; sexy socialite Oliver Queen meanwhile heads up the Applied Sciences division.
Other Locales
Arkham Asylum
Founded by Jeremiah Arkham, and officially known as Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane, the island sanitarium has become something of a collecting ground for the more psychotic and eccentric costumed criminals that stalk Gotham's streets. Practices at Arkham are suspect at best; former employee Professor Jonathan Crane was known to experiment on patients, as well as using pleas of insanity to help members of the Gotham mafia to escape jail time in Blackgate Penitentiary. Security measures at the Asylum are a little suspect, with numerous "supervillains" having escaped over the years.
Blackgate Penitentiary
The detention facility for those who aren't completely psychotic, Blackgate Penitentiary - also known as Gotham County Prison - is the main jail for subjects of the Gotham justice system. Like Arkham, the prison is isolated on an island away from populated areas of the city, and is considered particularly difficult to escape from; though the more resourceful or connected members of Gotham's underworld seem to manage with alarming frequency.
Brentwood Academy
Located in a wealthy up-County area of Gotham - north of the Palisades - Brentwood Academy is a distinguished educational establishment, attended by some of the wealthiest (and theoretically finest) students in Gotham, and indeed from America and aboard as well. The school was attended by a young Bruce Wayne and by Oliver Queen, the latter as a boarding student while his parents were busy running the family business. The school has a high reputation for educational excellence, and most of its students go on to achieve great success, particularly in business, law, and politics.
Slaughter Swamp
Located several miles beyond the city limits, Slaughter Swamp State Park is a region of supposed environmental importance, which provides a habitat for various protected species. In practice however it is a region of utter wasteland, frequently used by members of Gotham's underworld as a venue for clandestine meetings, as well as a dumping ground for bodies.
Wayne Manor
Originally one of the oldest properties in Gotham, the original Wayne Manor burned down a few years ago during an overzealous birthday celebration by Bruce Wayne]], and has only been recently rebuilt. It sits atop Crest Hill, and is surrounded by vast grounds and open landscape, dotted with the hopes of other rich and famous members of Gotham society.
The Batcave
We of course know absolutely nothing about the Batcave, whatsoever. Even if we did know, we certainly wouldn't be permitted to tell you. That said, there are several Batcaves dotted around Gotham City: that is, several secret facilities maintained by the Batman as bases of operations, and as storage for his various vehicles. The original Batcave is located beneath Wayne Manor, deep in Crest Hill, and can be accessed via a secret passage directly from the house; this serves at Batman's headquarters, and as the primary hub of his vigilante activities. Another facility is located at Port Adams, and can be accessed via a hidden elevator in a Wayne Enterprises owned shipping container. A third is hidden in a secret sub-basement beneath the Wayne Foundation Building, and can be accessed via a secret elevator from the penthouse apartment, providing Batman with a base of operations right in the heart of New Gotham. Other facilities may exist, but are extremely well hidden.
Groups
The Police
Gotham City Police Department has a long and distinguished history of protecting law and order in Gotham City (and Gotham County), but in recent years it has been plauged with allegations of corruption, and infiltration by the mob. Following the death of Gillian Loeb, the former head of the Major Crimes Unit - James Gordon - was appointed Commissioner, and began the task of cleaning up Gotham PD's ranks, and reputation. He is assisted by Clancy O'Hara, the Chief of Police, and relies heavily on Captain Maggie Sawyer as his replacement as head of Major Crimes. Under Gordon's direction, Gotham PD is working to clamp down on the abundance of unlawful vigilante activity taking place in Gotham City, though Gordon is known to have been sympathetic to the Batman in the past.
The Mob
Though thought of as a unified group by many, the Gotham mafia is a collection of rival crime families in constant competition for each other for superiority, though they have been known to forge alliances and to unite behind a single cause from time to time. For a time, the Falcone family held supremacy over the Gotham mafia, but following the actions of Batman, the League of Shadows, and of course Carmine Falcone being committed to Arkham after a run-in with the Scarecrow, the Maroni family rose to prominence. Many of the mob families uniting behind the mysterious Joker, but after he was defeated by Batman, and after Sal Maroni was left wheelchair bound after a run-in with a scarred and disillusioned Harvey Dent, the mafia was thrown into chaos.
Currently, several crime families are embroiled in a bitter turf war. Having recovered - mostly - after the Scarecrow's attack, Carmine Falcone continues to lead the Falcone Crime Family, though he is now heavily reliant on the support of his daughter, Sofia Gigante. The Maroni Crime Family also retains some of it's old power, though the crippled Sal Maroni does not command the same respect as he did. Other crime families include the Italian Galantes, Sabatinos and Bertinellis; the Russian Odessas and Dimitrovs; and the Irish Rileys, as well as street gangs like the Golden Dragons and other groups like the Yakuza.
Recently a mysterious crime boss known as Black Mask has risen to prominence in Gotham, making attempts to unify the crime families under a single banner once more. Many of the mafia members are reluctant however, fearing a repeat of what transpired when they rallied behind the Joker.
The D.E.O
The Department of Extranormal Operations is a government agency with no appreciation for secret identities and awesome costumes. They are blind to trivial little things like good and evil, and consider anyone who operates outside of the law as being the bad guy, regardless of whether they're a vigilante or a villain. With so many would-be heroes and costumed villains in Gotham City, the DEO Field Office is one of the most active in the country. Ted Kord and his partner Michael Holt are two of the myriad agents assigned there. The DEO's outlook isn't completely black and white however: they occasionally recruit lesser criminals and vigilantes like Selina Kyle to help them in their efforts against worse threats.
