City Stories Index · United States · 2026 edition
Austin vs Chicago
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Chicago leads 4–2. Character is a different question: Austin is the capitol and the music; Chicago is the city rebuilt after the fire.
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| What we measure | Austin | Chicago | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 34 | 94 | Chicago |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 272 | 293 | Austin |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 3 | 11 | Chicago |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 15 | 37 | Chicago |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 28 | 22 | Austin |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 0 | 2 | Chicago |
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: Austin in orange, Chicago in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
AustinChicago
9 places
arts & culture33 places
3 places
crime & dark history16 places
1 place
faith & churches13 places
1 place
parks & leisure13 places
10 places
legends & myths12 places
5 places
industry & modern era5 places
Austin scorecard →
The capitol and the music
Chicago scorecard →
The city rebuilt after the fire