Boston vs San Francisco
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, San Francisco leads 3–2 (1 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: Boston is the cradle of revolution; San Francisco is the gold rush city.
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Places with a story
spots where a route tells you what happened there
Boston
46
San Francisco
60
San Francisco leads
How often you pass a story
metres from one story to the next; fewer is better
Boston
299
San Francisco
329
Boston leads
Historical figures
real people you meet in its stories
Boston
4
San Francisco
4
Tie
Instagrammability
score /100, on the index’s fixed scale
Boston
60
San Francisco
23
Boston leads
Group outings
of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+
Boston
6
San Francisco
22
San Francisco leads
International visitors
% of player reviews written in a foreign language
Boston
3
San Francisco
6
San Francisco leads
| What we measure | Boston | San Francisco | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 46 | 60 | San Francisco |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 299 | 329 | Boston |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 4 | 4 | tie |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 60 | 23 | Boston |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 6 | 22 | San Francisco |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 3 | 6 | San Francisco |
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, San Francisco in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
Boston scorecard →
The cradle of revolution
San Francisco scorecard →
The gold rush city