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.
Change the matchup
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
