City Stories Index · United States · 2026 edition
Austin vs Houston
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Austin leads 3–2. Character is a different question: Austin is the capitol and the music; Houston is the city on the bayou.
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| What we measure | Austin | Houston | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 34 | 31 | Austin |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 272 | 340 | Austin |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 3 | 1 | Austin |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 15 | 43 | Houston |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 28 | 32 | Houston |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 0 | — | Austin |
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, Houston in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
AustinHouston
10 places
legends & myths3 places
9 places
arts & culture9 places
1 place
parks & leisure8 places
5 places
industry & modern era1 place
Austin scorecard →
The capitol and the music
Houston scorecard →
The city on the bayou