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
