ChicagoNew Orleans
City Stories Index · United States · 2026 edition

Chicago vs New Orleans

Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, they tie 3–3. Character is a different question: Chicago is the city rebuilt after the fire; New Orleans is the creole port.

Change the matchup

VS
  • Places with a story

    spots where a route tells you what happened there

    Chicago

    94

    New Orleans

    83

    Chicago leads

  • How often you pass a story

    metres from one story to the next; fewer is better

    Chicago

    293

    New Orleans

    208

    New Orleans leads

  • Historical figures

    real people you meet in its stories

    Chicago

    11

    New Orleans

    15

    New Orleans leads

  • Instagrammability

    score /100, on the index’s fixed scale

    Chicago

    37

    New Orleans

    34

    Chicago leads

  • Group outings

    of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+

    Chicago

    22

    New Orleans

    25

    New Orleans leads

  • International visitors

    % of player reviews written in a foreign language

    Chicago

    2

    New Orleans

    0

    Chicago leads

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: Chicago in orange, New Orleans in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.

ChicagoNew Orleans
33 places
arts & culture
20 places
12 places
legends & myths
26 places
16 places
crime & dark history
9 places
13 places
faith & churches
11 places
6 places
guilds & trade
13 places
13 places
parks & leisure
9 places

Chicago scorecard →

The city rebuilt after the fire

New Orleans scorecard →

The creole port