Gothenburg is located in south central Nebraska in Dawson County. U.S. Highway 30 and State Highway 47 intersect in the community. It is one half-mile north of Interstate 80; 185 miles west of Lincoln, the State Capitol; 239 miles west of Omaha; and 301 miles east of Denver. Gothenburg is 2,557 feet above sea level.

The terrain is generally flat with the sand hills beginning on the north edge of the community. The fertile Platte Valley borders the east, west and south edges of Gothenburg.

The predominant soil type is loam topsoil. Sand and gravel are underlying at a depth of about 6 feet along the Platte River; silty clay is underlying at about 2 feet in the hills.