City Stories Index · United States · 2026 edition
Chicago vs Phoenix
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Chicago leads 3–2. Character is a different question: Chicago is the city rebuilt after the fire; Phoenix is the mural city.
Change the matchup
| What we measure | Chicago | Phoenix | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 94 | 21 | Chicago |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 293 | 204 | Phoenix |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 11 | 3 | Chicago |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 37 | — | Chicago |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 22 | 27 | Phoenix |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 2 | 0 | Chicago |
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, Phoenix in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
ChicagoPhoenix
33 places
arts & culture10 places
16 places
crime & dark history1 place
13 places
faith & churches6 places
13 places
parks & leisure1 place
12 places
legends & myths1 place
5 places
industry & modern era4 places
Chicago scorecard →
The city rebuilt after the fire
Phoenix scorecard →
The mural city