Best Starter Towns In Pokemon

Starter towns in each Pokemon game share a great many similarities. Traditionally, they have between three and five buildings, are surrounded by conveniently low-level Pokemon, and tend to be devoid of the services essential to civilization (such as a Poké Mart or Pokemon Center). Although they can never be too exciting, some starter towns undeniably outshine others in terms of appeal.

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Despite their typical backwater charm (motivating trainers to kick-start their adventure outside the town limits), they are essential stepping stones in any Pokemon story. They help the player form their initial impressions of the region and can provide the nostalgia of coming home after the journey ends.

10 Littleroot Town - Hoenn Region

"A Town That Can't Be Shaded Any Hue"

• Three houses and not even a road leading out of town
• The town is bottlenecked, with the only exit in the north

This starter town's name suits it well, given that the place is so small and is so in the middle of nowhere that there isn't even a road out. Its layout is as basic as it gets, with three houses, a sign, and nothing much else.

Littleroot's slogan describes it as a place that can't be shaded, and that's exactly how the town comes across: colorless and bland. It would make any kid wish that they were still living in Johto. Still, with the settlement's small size, Alpha Sapphire & Omega Ruby players should have few attachments holding them back from making a swift exit.

9 Twinleaf Town - Sinnoh Region

"Fresh & Free / Where New Leaves Breathe"

• Perfectly symmetrical, without any edges, rough or otherwise
• Not even the region's professor wants to live in this starter town

It's possible that the design for Diamond & Pearl's Twinleaf was half-drawn and then mirrored, as the town has a symmetrical layout. Nothing that might inspire a young Pokemon trainer's brain is in sight; not even the usual research lab and its associated professor can be found there.

Even the cut of the border trees is perfectly square and comes across like some kind of verdant prison. Still, there is a somewhat scenic body of water to the south. To the north, the road (the only one out of town) leads to civilization proper, Sandgem, and a scenic lakefront.

8 Hau'oli Outskirts / Iki Town - Alola Region

"Where We Give Thanks To Pokemon"

• Novel in that the player does not start in the starter town but lives in the southern part of Route 1
• The town in which the player gets their starter Pokemon does hold significance in the wider world

Although players don't begin in Iki Town, it is where they receive their starter Pokemon. Sun & Moon's first town at least breaks with the formulaic tradition of emerging into a wider world from a cul-de-sac. Instead, the player is tasked with making their way from the Hau'oli outskirts to Iki.

The little slice of Route 1 doesn't have much going on besides being an intersection. Iki Town itself has some larger significance, being the residence of Melemele Island's kahuna, also the grandfather of the player's rival and the rival himself.

7 Vaniville - Kalos Region

"A Town Whose Flower Is About To Bloom"

• Although minimalistic, it is designed with lovely French features
• Contains a rideable Rhyhorn!

With the benefit of having gone 3D, Pokemon X & Y managed to convey a more beautiful starting area than all the games before, especially since the player's home (and the region in general) is modeled after French designs. Perhaps because it is so densely packed with visual treats, Vaniville doesn't contain much besides the three houses.

However, the town has a flower flourish in each home, and there is one especially cool feature right outside the player's home: a rideable Rhyhorn. Besides that, there isn't much to do in Vaniville, and it is quickly left behind to make way for greater Kalos.

6 Nuvema - Unova Region

"The Start Of Something Big"

• Nothing spectacular, but the stilts-over-the-sea town look is eye-catching
• The location of some post-game fights with the player's rivals

True, Nuvema is boxed off with only one exit to the north, and there aren't many exciting things about the town. However, Black & White's Nuvema wins some novelty points for being positioned over the sea on stilts. The town's quaint "good neighbor" aesthetics also help make it more memorable.

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While Nuvema isn't the most distinct starter town in the Pokemon world, it more than makes up for it in terms of its place in the story. Both the player's rivals hail from Nuvema and their hometown is the battleground for their post-game matches, giving the player a reason to make the trip back home.

5 Cabo Poco - Paldea Region

"Just A Little Pinch Of Community"

• This pretty pueblo comes with a secluded playa out back
• The cliffside location and hidden areas make Paldea seem more open-ended

Cabo Poco is not huge, but its well-designed layout and assets help sell the cliffside town and the region in general as a more expansive and open world. Rather than a dead end, the town feels more like a settlement in seclusion.

Best of all, this starting area comes with a beach, although naturally, most of it is used as a Pokemon arena. Despite the open world feel, the usual friendly neighbors, the lab (located a little further north on Poco Path in a lighthouse), and the one science enthusiast all help to tie it into the traditional starter area experience.

4 New Bark Town - Johto Region

"Where Winds Of A New Beginning Blow"

• Has a natural-looking dispersal of buildings
• Can be accessed from the east after a long journey around the region

For long-time fans of the Pokemon series, it may be difficult to disconnect the rest of Pokemon Gold & Silver from its starter town, but New Bark still has its merits regardless of nostalgia or its connection to one of the most beloved entries in the franchise.

The houses and buildings are scattered around naturally. The world map wraps around itself and more or less converges on New Bark Town near the end, so long as the player has all the skills loaded in that they learned on their journey.

3 Pallet Town - Kanto Region

"Shades Of Your Journey Await!"

• As first attempts go, Pallet Town serves the player well visually and narratively
• The southern sea entrance serves as a symbol of the player's growth

Nostalgia may well keep this town high on the list of starter towns for many Pokemon fans (that is if Nintendo had ever stopped portraying it in sequels and remakes). However, Pallet Town, the first-ever place Pokemaniacs got to see in Red & Blue, has a few charms besides novelty and the fact that it gets a facelift every once in a while.

The symbolic act of stumbling upon home after a long and challenging journey is a milestone in video game storytelling. It allows players to experience something akin to The Hero's Journey, as described by Joseph Cambell, in which a hero masters an unknown world and returns to their home, changed, a greater person than they were before. By the time the player has their volcano badge, they have grown just as much, if not more than, their Pokemon.

2 Postwick - Galar Region

"Where People And Their Pokemon Live In Close Harmony"

• Thematically appropriate for the region and visually the most charming starter town in the series
• Being one of the smallest starters, it hardly outstays its welcome

It may be one of the smallest starter towns, but this little lane is doing a lot of heavy lifting considering its size. With a masterful recreation of the British countryside alone (thatched roofs and all), Postwick lays down an all-important sense of history in players' minds, making it easy to commit to memory and feelings of nostalgia.

Generic fields in all directions just wouldn't cut it in a game (essentially) set in a utopian version of the United Kingdom; only rolling hills and cottage-core designs would do. With such an immediately distinct personality that still prompts trainers to reach out to the broader world, it's hard for fans to forget Postwick.

1 Aspertia City - Unova Region

"A City That Reaches For The Sky"

It may simply be the novelty of being able to start the game in a city with all its amenities, but Aspertia City, the player's Unova hometown in Pokemon Black & White 2 seems to have it all: a natural, snaking layout that inclines visitors to a hilltop vista (from which the player can get a beautiful view of the whole region), a Pokemon Center and Poké Mart, and even a gym.

There are plenty of reasons to want to return to Aspertia, from its hidden items and convenient services to its changing, seasonal views of the region's fields, lakes, and mountains. The balance of urban and natural makes Aspertia a great vantage from which to aspire to be the greatest Pokemon trainer of them all, at least in Unova.

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