Philadelphia vs San Francisco
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 Francisco is the gold rush city.
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Places with a story
spots where a route tells you what happened there
Philadelphia
58
San Francisco
60
Tie
How often you pass a story
metres from one story to the next; fewer is better
Philadelphia
329
San Francisco
329
Tie
Historical figures
real people you meet in its stories
Philadelphia
13
San Francisco
4
Philadelphia leads
Instagrammability
score /100, on the index’s fixed scale
Philadelphia
90
San Francisco
23
Philadelphia leads
Group outings
of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+
Philadelphia
24
San Francisco
22
Philadelphia leads
International visitors
% of player reviews written in a foreign language
Philadelphia
1
San Francisco
6
San Francisco leads
| What we measure | Philadelphia | San Francisco | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 58 | 60 | tie |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 329 | 329 | tie |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 13 | 4 | Philadelphia |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 90 | 23 | Philadelphia |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 24 | 22 | Philadelphia |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 1 | 6 | San Francisco |
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 Francisco in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
Philadelphia scorecard →
The city where the republic began
San Francisco scorecard →
The gold rush city