City Stories Index · United States · 2026 edition
Boston vs Chicago
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Chicago leads 3–2 (1 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: Boston is the cradle of revolution; Chicago is the city rebuilt after the fire.
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| What we measure | Boston | Chicago | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 46 | 94 | Chicago |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 299 | 293 | tie |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 4 | 11 | Chicago |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 60 | 37 | Boston |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 6 | 22 | Chicago |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 3 | 2 | Boston |
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: Boston in orange, Chicago in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
BostonChicago
4 places
arts & culture33 places
7 places
crime & dark history16 places
7 places
faith & churches13 places
10 places
parks & leisure13 places
3 places
legends & myths12 places
6 places
guilds & trade6 places
6 places
industry & modern era5 places
Boston scorecard →
The cradle of revolution
Chicago scorecard →
The city rebuilt after the fire