HoustonNew Orleans
City Stories Index · United States · 2026 edition

Houston vs New Orleans

Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, New Orleans leads 3–2. Character is a different question: Houston is the city on the bayou; New Orleans is the creole port.

Change the matchup

VS
  • Places with a story

    spots where a route tells you what happened there

    Houston

    31

    New Orleans

    83

    New Orleans leads

  • How often you pass a story

    metres from one story to the next; fewer is better

    Houston

    340

    New Orleans

    208

    New Orleans leads

  • Historical figures

    real people you meet in its stories

    Houston

    1

    New Orleans

    15

    New Orleans leads

  • Instagrammability

    score /100, on the index’s fixed scale

    Houston

    43

    New Orleans

    34

    Houston leads

  • Group outings

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

    Houston

    32

    New Orleans

    25

    Houston leads

  • International visitors

    % of player reviews written in a foreign language

    Houston

    New Orleans

    0

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

HoustonNew Orleans
3 places
legends & myths
26 places
9 places
arts & culture
20 places
0 places
guilds & trade
13 places
1 place
faith & churches
11 places
1 place
crime & dark history
9 places
8 places
parks & leisure
9 places

Houston scorecard →

The city on the bayou

New Orleans scorecard →

The creole port