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.
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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