Houston vs San Diego
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, San Diego leads 3–1 (1 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: Houston is the city on the bayou; San Diego is the exposition city.
Change the matchup
Places with a story
spots where a route tells you what happened there
Houston
31
San Diego
50
San Diego leads
How often you pass a story
metres from one story to the next; fewer is better
Houston
340
San Diego
260
San Diego leads
Historical figures
real people you meet in its stories
Houston
1
San Diego
1
Tie
Instagrammability
score /100, on the index’s fixed scale
Houston
43
San Diego
54
San Diego leads
Group outings
of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+
Houston
32
San Diego
23
Houston leads
International visitors
% of player reviews written in a foreign language
Houston
—
San Diego
1
San Diego leads
| What we measure | Houston | San Diego | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 31 | 50 | San Diego |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 340 | 260 | San Diego |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 1 | 1 | tie |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 43 | 54 | San Diego |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 32 | 23 | Houston |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | — | 1 | San Diego |
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, San Diego in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
Houston scorecard →
The city on the bayou
San Diego scorecard →
The exposition city