San DiegoWashington D.C.
City Stories Index · United States · 2026 edition

San Diego vs Washington D.C.

Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Washington D.C. leads 4–2. Character is a different question: San Diego is the exposition city; Washington D.C. is the planned capital.

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VS
  • Places with a story

    spots where a route tells you what happened there

    San Diego

    50

    Washington D.C.

    63

    Washington D.C. leads

  • How often you pass a story

    metres from one story to the next; fewer is better

    San Diego

    260

    Washington D.C.

    344

    San Diego leads

  • Historical figures

    real people you meet in its stories

    San Diego

    1

    Washington D.C.

    12

    Washington D.C. leads

  • Instagrammability

    score /100, on the index’s fixed scale

    San Diego

    54

    Washington D.C.

    33

    San Diego leads

  • Group outings

    of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+

    San Diego

    23

    Washington D.C.

    25

    Washington D.C. leads

  • International visitors

    % of player reviews written in a foreign language

    San Diego

    1

    Washington D.C.

    2

    Washington D.C. leads

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: San Diego in orange, Washington D.C. in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.

San DiegoWashington D.C.
17 places
arts & culture
25 places
11 places
parks & leisure
8 places
4 places
legends & myths
9 places
5 places
guilds & trade
0 places

San Diego scorecard →

The exposition city

Washington D.C. scorecard →

The planned capital