The story appears to be set close to the Sea of Galilee, since it takes place as soon as Jesus gets out of the boat, but neither Gadara nor Gerasa is nearby; both cities are southeast of the lake, Gadara 10 km away or a two-hour walking distance, and Gerasa well over twice as far. Origen (Commentary on John 6:24 §41 [on John 1:28]) cited a local tradition that there had been a town called "Gergasa" on the lake shore.
