Los Angeles vs San Francisco
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Los Angeles leads 4–1. Character is a different question: Los Angeles is the city of stars on the pavement; San Francisco is the gold rush city.
Change the matchup
Places with a story
spots where a route tells you what happened there
Los Angeles
52
San Francisco
60
San Francisco leads
How often you pass a story
metres from one story to the next; fewer is better
Los Angeles
290
San Francisco
329
Los Angeles leads
Historical figures
real people you meet in its stories
Los Angeles
13
San Francisco
4
Los Angeles leads
Instagrammability
score /100, on the index’s fixed scale
Los Angeles
73
San Francisco
23
Los Angeles leads
Group outings
of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+
Los Angeles
24
San Francisco
22
Los Angeles leads
International visitors
% of player reviews written in a foreign language
Los Angeles
-
San Francisco
6
San Francisco leads
| What we measure | Los Angeles | San Francisco | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 52 | 60 | San Francisco |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 290 | 329 | Los Angeles |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 13 | 4 | Los Angeles |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 73 | 23 | Los Angeles |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 24 | 22 | Los Angeles |
| 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: Los Angeles in orange, San Francisco in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
Los Angeles scorecard
The city of stars on the pavement
San Francisco scorecard
The gold rush city
