City Stories Index · United States · 2026 edition
Boston vs Scottsdale
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Boston leads 2–1. Character is a different question: Boston is the cradle of revolution; Scottsdale is the desert resort town.
Change the matchup
| What we measure | Boston | Scottsdale | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 46 | 25 | Boston |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 299 | 152 | Scottsdale |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 4 | 1 | Boston |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 60 | — | Boston |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 6 | — | Boston |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 3 | — | 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, Scottsdale in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
BostonScottsdale
4 places
arts & culture13 places
10 places
parks & leisure2 places
7 places
crime & dark history0 places
7 places
faith & churches2 places
6 places
guilds & trade5 places
6 places
industry & modern era3 places
Boston scorecard →
The cradle of revolution
Scottsdale scorecard →
The desert resort town