City Stories Index · United States · 2026 edition
Austin vs New York City
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, New York City leads 4–2. Character is a different question: Austin is the capitol and the music; New York City is the island of arrivals.
Change the matchup
| What we measure | Austin | New York City | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 34 | 369 | New York City |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 272 | 291 | Austin |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 3 | 99 | New York City |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 15 | 75 | New York City |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 28 | 20 | Austin |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 0 | 2 | New York City |
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, New York City in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
AustinNew York City
9 places
arts & culture122 places
1 place
parks & leisure57 places
10 places
legends & myths41 places
5 places
industry & modern era40 places
Austin scorecard →
The capitol and the music
New York City scorecard →
The island of arrivals