Gotham City is a fictional U.S. port city located on the north-eastern Atlantic coast. It was originally a stand-in for New York City, but has also been likened to other crime-ridden urban centers such as Chicago and Detroit. Some sources have placed Gotham City in the state of New Jersey; however, this cannot be considered definitive. The direct-to-video animated movie SubZero (1998) gives Barbara Gordon's street address as Gotham City, NY; and gives a ZIP code (10025) and telephone area code (212) that are assigned to New York City.
The current DC Universe version of Gotham City is actually a small island connected to the mainland by a series of bridges and tunnels. The east and south sides of Gotham face the Atlantic Ocean. The city is further divided by the Sprang River (named for Dick Sprang) on the northern end and the Finger River (for Bill Finger) to the south. Tiny Blackgate Isle to the south-east is home to Blackgate Maximum Security Penitentiary. Blackgate is replaced by Stonegate Peniteniary in the animated series "Batman" (1992) and its spin-offs.