Houston vs San Francisco
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, they tie 2–2 (1 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: Houston is the city on the bayou; San Francisco is the gold rush city.
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Places with a story
spots where a route tells you what happened there
Houston
31
San Francisco
60
San Francisco leads
How often you pass a story
metres from one story to the next; fewer is better
Houston
340
San Francisco
329
Tie
Historical figures
real people you meet in its stories
Houston
1
San Francisco
4
San Francisco leads
Instagrammability
score /100, on the index’s fixed scale
Houston
43
San Francisco
23
Houston leads
Group outings
of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+
Houston
32
San Francisco
22
Houston leads
International visitors
% of player reviews written in a foreign language
Houston
-
San Francisco
6
San Francisco leads
| What we measure | Houston | San Francisco | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 31 | 60 | San Francisco |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 340 | 329 | tie |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 1 | 4 | San Francisco |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 43 | 23 | Houston |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 32 | 22 | Houston |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | - | 6 | San Francisco |
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 Francisco in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
Houston scorecard
The city on the bayou
San Francisco scorecard
The gold rush city
