New OrleansThe creole port
Measured from 1,000+ plays across 17 walked routes: in New Orleans, you pass a place with a story every 208 metres.
Ranked #3 of 16 United States big cities
2026 edition · scores vs all indexed cities · measured 2026-08-21 · scored on 7 of 8 measures · how we measure
Depth51/100
83 places with a story
15 historical figures · 1h of stories
Density73/100
a story every 208 m
median along a route
Character30/100
legends & myths
typical story: 1859 · 19th century
Pulse53/100
Instagrammability 34/100
peak month: Jun
New Orleans, measured
The scores
Ranked against
| What we measure | New Orleans | Score out of 100 | Rank | Global leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depth | ||||
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 83 | 52 | #21 of 71 | London (United Kingdom) · 594 |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 15 | 51 | #13 of 68 | London (United Kingdom) · 184 |
| Hours of storieshow long its stories take to read, end to end | 0.9h | 50 | #20 of 71 | London (United Kingdom) · 7h |
| Density | ||||
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next | 208 m | 73 | #5 of 71 | Williamsburg · 100 m |
| Character | ||||
| Years its stories coverfrom its oldest story to its newest | 301 yrs | 30 | #62 of 70 | London (United Kingdom) · 1025 yrs |
| Pulse | ||||
| Instagrammabilityhow often players photograph this city | 34/100 | 34 | #28 of 54 | Sydney (Australia) |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3 or more | 25 in 100 | 71 | #7 of 69 | Houston · 32 in 100 |
| International visitorsshare of player reviews written in a foreign language | 0% | not scored here: most visitors write English too, so the measure cannot tell them apart | — | Venice (Italy) · 97% |
How to read this table›
How to read it: each score is out of 100, measured against a fixed scale that is the same for every city and every edition. New Orleans's 83 on places with a story scores 52, and it scores 52 on any page you find it. The switch above changes who it is ranked against, not the scores: right now that is all 80 indexed cities (19 countries so far). New Orleans is scored on 7 of the 8 measures: its overall score averages those 7, and the greyed measures stay out of the average rather than counting against it. Ranks compare cities of a similar size. What a city's stories are about has no better or worse, so themes and eras aren't scored. Instagrammability is shown as a score only; how it's calculated is on the methodology page.
The medal table
What New Orleans wins
- Most guilds & trade among the United States' big cities· 16% of its stories
- Most legends & myths among the United States' big cities· 31% of its stories
Won against the other big cities of United States in the 2026 edition. See the full table on the country page.
Character
What its stories are about
- legends & myths31%
- arts & culture24%
- guilds & trade16%
- faith & churches13%
- crime & dark history11%
- parks & leisure11%
Out of New Orleans's 83 places with a story, the share whose story touches each theme. One story can touch several.
Character
Which centuries you walk through
- 19th century32%
- Early modern30%
- Early 20th century23%
- Post-war11%
- Contemporary5%
When New Orleans's stories happen (69% of them mention a year).
Pulse
When people play here
Typical share of player reviews per month (median across 4 recent years). Peak: Jun.
Pulse
Who visits, by review language
- English100%
Language of 500+ written player reviews. A proxy for who visits; English hides several nationalities.
Depth
83 stories wait on its streets. Here are three
The Queen of the Vieux Carre was the nickname of the performer Chris Owens. She began singing in 1956 and grew to…
St. Louis Cathedral is the oldest in continuous use in the United States. (It is also said to be haunted by former…
The Historic Voodoo Museum is one of only a few museums in the world dedicated entirely to Voodoo. It has tons of…
Depth
Figures you meet on New Orleans's streets
Marie Laveau
at 11 places
Pharmacy Museum New Orleans · Congo Square · Marie Laveau's Cottage
Andrew Jackson
at 4 places
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar · Andrew Jackson Hotel · Jackson Square
Jean Lafitte
at 3 places
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar · Old Absinthe House · Bourbon Orleans Hotel
Chris Owens
at 2 places
New Orleans Legends Musical Park · Chris Owens
Danny Barker
at 2 places
Cosimo Matassa’s J&M Recording Studios · Danny Barker Birthplace
Edgar Degas
at 2 places
Law Office of David Oestreicher, II · Roosevelt Mall, New Orleans
Fats Domino
at 2 places
New Orleans Legends Musical Park · Cosimo Matassa’s J&M Recording Studios
Louis Allard Jr
at 2 places
McDonogh Oak · Pigeon House
Depth
Every New Orleans place with a story, on one map
Each pin is a place whose story a Questo route tells. Tap one for the quest that tells it. See an empty street that deserves a pin? The form at the bottom of this page adds your story to the editors' queue.
Walk New Orleans's stories yourself
Three of 17 routes here. See everything in New Orleans
Where next after New Orleans?
New York CityThe island of arrivals1867 km away · a story every 291 m
ChicagoThe city rebuilt after the fire1333 km away · a story every 293 m
HoustonThe city on the bayou521 km away · a story every 340 m
OrlandoThe city the parks built850 km away · a story every 184 m
AtlantaThe city of the movement671 km away · a story every 240 m
Washington D.C.The planned capital1539 km away · a story every 344 mHow does New Orleans compare?
Put New Orleans head-to-head with any city in the index, measure by measure, from real walking data.
- New Orleans vs New York City
- New Orleans vs Chicago
- New Orleans vs Washington D.C.
- New Orleans vs San Francisco
- New Orleans vs Philadelphia
- New Orleans vs Boston
- New Orleans vs Orlando
- New Orleans vs Portland, OR
- New Orleans vs Houston
- New Orleans vs Jersey City
- New Orleans vs Los Angeles
- New Orleans vs San Diego
- New Orleans vs Seattle
- New Orleans vs Atlanta
- New Orleans vs Austin
Quick answers
- What is New Orleans like to explore on foot?
- New Orleans has 83 places with a story across 17 self-guided Questo routes, with a story every 208 metres of walking on average. Its stories lean towards legends & myths and arts & culture.
- Which historical period defines New Orleans?
- 32% of New Orleans's dated stories come from the 19th century period; its oldest dated story reaches back to 1718.
- When do people visit New Orleans?
- Player activity in New Orleans peaks in Jun, with a typical 28% of reviews arriving June to August (median across 4 recent years of Questo reviews).
- How is this measured?
- From Questo's own walked routes and player activity in New Orleans: 1,000+ plays and 500+ reviews. Full method on the City Stories Index methodology page, 2026 edition.
Quote any line, attributed
For press and citation
- Walking a Questo route in New Orleans, you pass a place with a story every 208 metres on average.
- 32% of New Orleans's dated stories come from the 19th century period.
- New Orleans's typical story happens in 1859: the median year across its dated stories, which span 301 years.
- Players meet 15 historical figures in New Orleans's stories, from Marie Laveau to Andrew Jackson.
- 0% of New Orleans's written player reviews are in a language other than English (from 500+ reviews).
- Roughly 25 of every 100 plays in New Orleans is a group outing of three or more people, measured from invited multi-device sessions over the last 12 months.
- New Orleans's play season peaks in Jun; a typical 28% of reviews arrive June to August (median across 4 recent years).
Copy any line as it stands: for an article, a post, or an argument at dinner. Attribution: Questo City Stories Index (2026 edition), with a link to this page. Method and sample sizes on the methodology page.
New Orleans ranks #27 of 80. Show it.
For city halls, tourism boards, local press and anyone who lives here: this badge is yours to use, free and without asking. It links back to the measurements behind it, and it updates itself when the next edition is published.
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</a>Know a story these streets are missing?
Every place, story and figure on this page comes from routes built by people who know New Orleans. Add what's missing: as a Questo creator, or with a quick suggestion.