City Stories Index · United States · 2026 edition
Philadelphia vs San Diego
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Philadelphia leads 3–1 (2 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: Philadelphia is the city where the republic began; San Diego is the exposition city.
Change the matchup
| What we measure | Philadelphia | San Diego | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 58 | 50 | Philadelphia |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 329 | 260 | San Diego |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 13 | 1 | Philadelphia |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 90 | 54 | Philadelphia |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 24 | 23 | tie |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 1 | 1 | 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: Philadelphia in orange, San Diego in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
PhiladelphiaSan Diego
3 places
arts & culture17 places
0 places
parks & leisure11 places
9 places
crime & dark history3 places
7 places
faith & churches1 place
6 places
guilds & trade5 places
6 places
legends & myths4 places
Philadelphia scorecard →
The city where the republic began
San Diego scorecard →
The exposition city