City Stories Index · United States · 2026 edition
New Orleans vs Washington D.C.
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, New Orleans leads 3–1 (2 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: New Orleans is the creole port; Washington D.C. is the planned capital.
Change the matchup
| What we measure | New Orleans | Washington D.C. | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 83 | 63 | New Orleans |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 208 | 344 | New Orleans |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 15 | 12 | New Orleans |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 34 | 33 | tie |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 25 | 25 | tie |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 0 | 2 | Washington D.C. |
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, Washington D.C. in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
New OrleansWashington D.C.
26 places
legends & myths9 places
20 places
arts & culture25 places
13 places
guilds & trade0 places
11 places
faith & churches4 places
9 places
crime & dark history3 places
9 places
parks & leisure8 places
New Orleans scorecard →
The creole port
Washington D.C. scorecard →
The planned capital