

Houston vs Seattle
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Seattle leads 3–0 (2 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: Houston is the city on the bayou; Seattle is the rainy port of the northwest.
Change the matchup
Places with a story
spots where a route tells you what happened there
Houston
31
Seattle
46
Seattle leads
How often you pass a story
metres from one story to the next; fewer is better
Houston
340
Seattle
249
Seattle leads
Historical figures
real people you meet in its stories
Houston
1
Seattle
6
Seattle leads
Instagrammability
score /100, on the index’s fixed scale
Houston
43
Seattle
43
Tie
Group outings
of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+
Houston
32
Seattle
31
Tie
International visitors
% of player reviews written in a foreign language
Houston
-
Seattle
4
Seattle leads
| What we measure | Houston | Seattle | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 31 | 46 | Seattle |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 340 | 249 | Seattle |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 1 | 6 | Seattle |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 43 | 43 | tie |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 32 | 31 | tie |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | - | 4 | Seattle |
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, Seattle in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
Houston scorecard
The city on the bayou
Seattle scorecard
The rainy port of the northwest