Austin makes a lot of national lists, but our ranking among Pokémon-Go-crazed cities is surely one of our finest moments. According to a report by national real estate brokerage Redfin, we are number seven on the list.
Using a rigorous scientific method known as a “Google Trends search,” the study found places where the most people were looking for common Pokémon terms and names (Pokémon, Squirtle, Blastoise, Charizard, and Bulbasaur) and then ranked them on a scale of 0-100.
San Antonio is number one (really?), followed by a few California cities, Houston, and Phoenix, before we land on Austin (score: 62.4). Portland, with whom we share the most-searched term (Bulbasaur), among other things, is right behind us.
Whether or not this correlates to how many people are actually running around playing in their cities is unclear, but, if there is a connection, it’s kind of interesting to note that Houston is the easternmost city on the list. Must the Heat Dome.
You can see the full list and read the report here.