Houston vs Los Angeles
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Los Angeles leads 4–1. Character is a different question: Houston is the city on the bayou; Los Angeles is the city of stars on the pavement.
Change the matchup
Places with a story
spots where a route tells you what happened there
Houston
31
Los Angeles
52
Los Angeles leads
How often you pass a story
metres from one story to the next; fewer is better
Houston
340
Los Angeles
290
Los Angeles leads
Historical figures
real people you meet in its stories
Houston
1
Los Angeles
13
Los Angeles leads
Instagrammability
score /100, on the index’s fixed scale
Houston
43
Los Angeles
73
Los Angeles leads
Group outings
of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+
Houston
32
Los Angeles
24
Houston leads
| What we measure | Houston | Los Angeles | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 31 | 52 | Los Angeles |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 340 | 290 | Los Angeles |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 1 | 13 | Los Angeles |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 43 | 73 | Los Angeles |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 32 | 24 | Houston |
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: Houston in orange, Los Angeles in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
Houston scorecard
The city on the bayou
Los Angeles scorecard
The city of stars on the pavement
