City Stories Index · United States · 2026 edition
New Orleans vs Phoenix
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, New Orleans leads 2–1 (2 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: New Orleans is the creole port; Phoenix is the mural city.
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| What we measure | New Orleans | Phoenix | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 83 | 21 | New Orleans |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 208 | 204 | tie |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 15 | 3 | New Orleans |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 34 | — | New Orleans |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 25 | 27 | Phoenix |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 0 | 0 | tie |
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: New Orleans in orange, Phoenix in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
New OrleansPhoenix
26 places
legends & myths1 place
20 places
arts & culture10 places
13 places
guilds & trade1 place
11 places
faith & churches6 places
9 places
crime & dark history1 place
9 places
parks & leisure1 place
6 places
industry & modern era4 places
New Orleans scorecard →
The creole port
Phoenix scorecard →
The mural city