Houston vs Phoenix
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, they tie 2–2. Character is a different question: Houston is the city on the bayou; Phoenix is the mural city.
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Places with a story
spots where a route tells you what happened there
Houston
31
Phoenix
21
Houston leads
How often you pass a story
metres from one story to the next; fewer is better
Houston
340
Phoenix
204
Phoenix leads
Historical figures
real people you meet in its stories
Houston
1
Phoenix
3
Phoenix leads
Instagrammability
score /100, on the index’s fixed scale
Houston
43
Phoenix
—
Houston leads
Group outings
of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+
Houston
32
Phoenix
27
Houston leads
International visitors
% of player reviews written in a foreign language
Houston
—
Phoenix
0
Phoenix leads
| What we measure | Houston | Phoenix | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 31 | 21 | Houston |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 340 | 204 | Phoenix |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 1 | 3 | Phoenix |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 43 | — | Houston |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 32 | 27 | Houston |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | — | 0 | Phoenix |
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, Phoenix in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
Houston scorecard →
The city on the bayou
Phoenix scorecard →
The mural city