New York City has a lot of nicknames, but no official one. But one elected official is trying to change that.
Queens Councilman Hiram Monserrate is pushing the New York City council to adopt "Gotham" as the city's first official nickname -- just in time for this summer's release of Warner Brothers' new Batman film, "The Dark Knight."
"I see that as a marketing tool," Monserrate told the Village Voice. "'Come visit the real Gotham City,' taking advantage of this movie which will be one of those gate-breaking, record-selling movies like it always is."
As the Voice notes, NYC has been linked with "Gotham" for quite some time:
The dark and gritty streets of Batman fame were modeled after the landscape of Lower Manhattan. But long before the D.C. Comics depiction connected New York City and Gotham City, Washington Irving made the reference in 1807 , drawing a comparison between the residents of the City and those of the town of Gotham in Nottinghamshire , England who evaded taxes by faking dementia, a condition thought to be contagious at the time.
But in this case, the idea of New York as the "real" Gotham City might come as a surprise to Richard Daley, since both "The Dark Knight" and 2005's "Batman Begins" were filmed in Chicago.
Zach Patton -- Executive Editor. Zach has written about a range of topics, including social policy issues and urban planning and design. Originally from Tennessee, he joined GOVERNING as a staff writer in 2004. He received the 2011 Jesse H. Neal Award for Outstanding Journalism
E-mail: zpatton@governing.com 
Written and compiled by staff writers and editors, GOVERNING View is an on-the-ground, and sometimes behind-the-scenes, look at the topics we're covering in print and online. From notes on what's up in statehouses, county courthouses and city halls, to encounters with people, places and things, GOVERNING View is a window into the side of state and local government you don't always see.
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