Manchester vs Oxford
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Manchester leads 3–1. Character is a different question: Manchester is the city that rewrote pop; Oxford is the city of spires.
Change the matchup
Places with a story
spots where a route tells you what happened there
Manchester
65
Oxford
26
Manchester leads
How often you pass a story
metres from one story to the next; fewer is better
Manchester
293
Oxford
268
Oxford leads
Historical figures
real people you meet in its stories
Manchester
12
Oxford
9
Manchester leads
Instagrammability
score /100, on the index’s fixed scale
Manchester
23
Oxford
-
Manchester leads
Group outings
of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+
Manchester
19
Oxford
12
Manchester leads
International visitors
% of player reviews written in a foreign language
Manchester
1
Oxford
-
Manchester leads
| What we measure | Manchester | Oxford | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 65 | 26 | Manchester |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 293 | 268 | Oxford |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 12 | 9 | Manchester |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 23 | - | Manchester |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 19 | 12 | Manchester |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 1 | - | Manchester |
Differences under 5% count as ties. Sample sizes and definitions on the methodology page.
What their stories are about
How many places with a story each city has per theme: Manchester in orange, Oxford in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
Manchester scorecard
The city that rewrote pop
Oxford scorecard
The city of spires
