City Stories Index · United States · 2026 edition
Atlanta vs Philadelphia
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, they tie 2–2 (1 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: Atlanta is the city of the movement; Philadelphia is the city where the republic began.
Change the matchup
| What we measure | Atlanta | Philadelphia | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 45 | 58 | Philadelphia |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 240 | 329 | Atlanta |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 8 | 13 | Philadelphia |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | — | 90 | Philadelphia |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 30 | 24 | Atlanta |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 1 | 1 | tie |
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: Atlanta in orange, Philadelphia in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
AtlantaPhiladelphia
2 places
crime & dark history9 places
4 places
faith & churches7 places
7 places
arts & culture3 places
2 places
guilds & trade6 places
2 places
legends & myths6 places
5 places
industry & modern era4 places
5 places
parks & leisure0 places
Atlanta scorecard →
The city of the movement
Philadelphia scorecard →
The city where the republic began