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