PhiladelphiaThe city where the republic began
Measured from 1,000+ plays across 22 walked routes: in Philadelphia, you pass a place with a story every 329 metres.
Ranked #2 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
Depth44/100
58 places with a story
13 historical figures · 1h of stories
Density43/100
a story every 329 m
median along a route
Character41/100
crime & dark history
typical story: 1804 · early modern
Pulse80/100
Instagrammability 90/100
peak month: Oct
Philadelphia, measured
The scores
Ranked against
| What we measure | Philadelphia | Score out of 100 | Rank | Global leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depth | ||||
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 58 | 43 | #30 of 71 | London (United Kingdom) · 594 |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 13 | 48 | #16 of 68 | London (United Kingdom) · 184 |
| Hours of storieshow long its stories take to read, end to end | 0.6h | 41 | #32 of 71 | London (United Kingdom) · 7h |
| Density | ||||
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next | 329 m | 43 | #59 of 71 | Williamsburg · 100 m |
| Character | ||||
| Years its stories coverfrom its oldest story to its newest | 411 yrs | 41 | #54 of 70 | London (United Kingdom) · 1025 yrs |
| Pulse | ||||
| Instagrammabilityhow often players photograph this city | 90/100 | 90 | #3 of 54 | Sydney (Australia) |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3 or more | 24 in 100 | 69 | #10 of 69 | Houston · 32 in 100 |
| International visitorsshare of player reviews written in a foreign language | 1% | not scored here: most visitors write English too, so the measure cannot tell them apart | #43 of 47 | 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. Philadelphia's 58 on places with a story scores 43, and it scores 43 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). Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia wins
- Most instagrammable among the United States' big cities
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
- crime & dark history16%
- faith & churches12%
- guilds & trade10%
- legends & myths10%
Out of Philadelphia's 58 places with a story, the share whose story touches each theme. One story can touch several.
Character
Which centuries you walk through
- Early modern46%
- 19th century30%
- Post-war11%
- Early 20th century8%
- Contemporary5%
When Philadelphia's stories happen (64% of them mention a year).
Pulse
When people play here
Typical share of player reviews per month (median across 4 recent years). Peak: Oct.
Pulse
Who visits, by review language
- English99%
- Spanish1%
Language of 500+ written player reviews. A proxy for who visits; English hides several nationalities.
Depth
58 stories wait on its streets. Here are three
Franklin Court was the site of the handsome brick home of Benjamin Franklin, who lived here while serving in the Continental Congress…
Of the many subspecies species of plains zebra that still roam the African grasslands, it is the smallest of them, Grant's zebra…
The Wholesale Poisoner, also known as Sarah Jane Whiteling, was the first woman to be executed in Philadelphia. In 1888, Whiteling purchased…
Depth
Figures you meet on Philadelphia's streets
William Penn
at 10 places
The Liberty Bell · Reading Terminal Market · Dillworth Park - City Hall
Benjamin Franklin
at 5 places
The Betsy Ross House · Benjamin Franklin's House + Printing Office · National Constitution Center
George Clymer
at 3 places
National Constitution Center · The Signer’s Garden -- Temporarily Suspended Clue · Second Bank of the United States Portrait Gallery
Robert Morris
at 3 places
Presidents House · National Constitution Center · The Signer’s Garden -- Temporarily Suspended Clue
Benjamin Rush
at 2 places
Final Resting Place of Benjamin Franklin · The Signer’s Garden -- Temporarily Suspended Clue
George Washington
at 2 places
Presidents House · The President’s House Site
James Wilson
at 2 places
National Constitution Center · The Signer’s Garden -- Temporarily Suspended Clue
Thomas Jefferson
at 2 places
The Declaration House - Thomas Jefferson's Residence · Second Bank of the United States Portrait Gallery
Depth
Every Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia's stories yourself
Three of 22 routes here. See everything in Philadelphia
Where next after Philadelphia?
New York CityThe island of arrivals130 km away · a story every 291 m
Washington D.C.The planned capital199 km away · a story every 344 m
Jersey CityThe city facing Manhattan128 km away · a story every 278 m
BostonThe cradle of revolution432 km away · a story every 299 m
ChicagoThe city rebuilt after the fire1068 km away · a story every 293 m
New OrleansThe creole port1738 km away · a story every 208 mHow does Philadelphia compare?
Put Philadelphia head-to-head with any city in the index, measure by measure, from real walking data.
- Philadelphia vs New York City
- Philadelphia vs New Orleans
- Philadelphia vs Chicago
- Philadelphia vs Washington D.C.
- Philadelphia vs San Francisco
- Philadelphia vs Boston
- Philadelphia vs Orlando
- Philadelphia vs Portland, OR
- Philadelphia vs Houston
- Philadelphia vs Jersey City
- Philadelphia vs Los Angeles
- Philadelphia vs San Diego
- Philadelphia vs Seattle
- Philadelphia vs Atlanta
- Philadelphia vs Austin
Quick answers
- What is Philadelphia like to explore on foot?
- Philadelphia has 58 places with a story across 22 self-guided Questo routes, with a story every 329 metres of walking on average. Its stories lean towards crime & dark history and faith & churches.
- Which historical period defines Philadelphia?
- 46% of Philadelphia's dated stories come from the early modern period; its oldest dated story reaches back to 1604.
- When do people visit Philadelphia?
- Player activity in Philadelphia peaks in Oct, with a typical 36% 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 Philadelphia: 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 Philadelphia, you pass a place with a story every 329 metres on average.
- 46% of Philadelphia's dated stories come from the early modern period.
- Philadelphia's typical story happens in 1804: the median year across its dated stories, which span 411 years.
- Players meet 13 historical figures in Philadelphia's stories, from William Penn to Benjamin Franklin.
- 1% of Philadelphia's written player reviews are in a language other than English (from 500+ reviews).
- Roughly 24 of every 100 plays in Philadelphia is a group outing of three or more people, measured from invited multi-device sessions over the last 12 months.
- Philadelphia's play season peaks in Oct; a typical 36% 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.
Philadelphia ranks #21 of 80. Show it.
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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 Philadelphia. Add what's missing: as a Questo creator, or with a quick suggestion.