

Houston vs Portland, OR
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Portland, OR leads 2–1. Character is a different question: Houston is the city on the bayou; Portland, OR is the city at the confluence.
Change the matchup
Places with a story
spots where a route tells you what happened there
Houston
31
Portland, OR
36
Portland, OR leads
How often you pass a story
metres from one story to the next; fewer is better
Houston
340
Portland, OR
247
Portland, OR leads
Historical figures
real people you meet in its stories
Houston
1
Portland, OR
-
Houston leads
Instagrammability
score /100, on the index’s fixed scale
Houston
43
Portland, OR
-
Houston leads
Group outings
of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+
Houston
32
Portland, OR
21
Houston leads
| What we measure | Houston | Portland, OR | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 31 | 36 | Portland, OR |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 340 | 247 | Portland, OR |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 1 | - | Houston |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 43 | - | Houston |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 32 | 21 | 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, Portland, OR in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
Houston scorecard
The city on the bayou
Portland, OR scorecard
The city at the confluence