Chicago vs San Francisco
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Chicago leads 4–1 (1 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: Chicago is the city rebuilt after the fire; San Francisco is the gold rush city.
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Places with a story
spots where a route tells you what happened there
Chicago
94
San Francisco
60
Chicago leads
How often you pass a story
metres from one story to the next; fewer is better
Chicago
293
San Francisco
329
Chicago leads
Historical figures
real people you meet in its stories
Chicago
11
San Francisco
4
Chicago leads
Instagrammability
score /100, on the index’s fixed scale
Chicago
37
San Francisco
23
Chicago leads
Group outings
of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+
Chicago
22
San Francisco
22
Tie
International visitors
% of player reviews written in a foreign language
Chicago
2
San Francisco
6
San Francisco leads
| What we measure | Chicago | San Francisco | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 94 | 60 | Chicago |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 293 | 329 | Chicago |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 11 | 4 | Chicago |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 37 | 23 | Chicago |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 22 | 22 | tie |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 2 | 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: Chicago in orange, San Francisco in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
Chicago scorecard
The city rebuilt after the fire
San Francisco scorecard
The gold rush city
