City Stories Index · United States · 2026 edition
Boston vs New Orleans
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, New Orleans leads 4–2. Character is a different question: Boston is the cradle of revolution; New Orleans is the creole port.
Change the matchup
| What we measure | Boston | New Orleans | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 46 | 83 | New Orleans |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 299 | 208 | New Orleans |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 4 | 15 | New Orleans |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 60 | 34 | Boston |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 6 | 25 | New Orleans |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 3 | 0 | 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, New Orleans in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
BostonNew Orleans
3 places
legends & myths26 places
4 places
arts & culture20 places
6 places
guilds & trade13 places
7 places
faith & churches11 places
10 places
parks & leisure9 places
7 places
crime & dark history9 places
6 places
industry & modern era6 places
Boston scorecard →
The cradle of revolution
New Orleans scorecard →
The creole port