City Stories Index · United States · 2026 edition
Austin vs Phoenix
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, they tie 1–1 (3 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: Austin is the capitol and the music; Phoenix is the mural city.
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| What we measure | Austin | Phoenix | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 34 | 21 | Austin |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 272 | 204 | Phoenix |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 3 | 3 | tie |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 15 | — | Austin |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 28 | 27 | tie |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 0 | 0 | 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: Austin in orange, Phoenix in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
AustinPhoenix
10 places
legends & myths1 place
9 places
arts & culture10 places
1 place
faith & churches6 places
5 places
industry & modern era4 places
Austin scorecard →
The capitol and the music
Phoenix scorecard →
The mural city