Hoenn was the largest region in the Pokémon franchise at the time of its release. It had a whopping sixteen cities and towns, compared to the Kanto and Johto regions, which both had ten. It has since been matched by Kalos, and surpassed by Unova (eighteen), but it remains one of the biggest and most varied regions in the Pokémon world.
Let's take a look at every city and town in Hoenn and rank them from worst to best.
16 Verdanturf Town
This is the town Wally's parents exile him to for the benefit of his health. Poor kid, because there's pretty much nothing to do here. Unless you're really into the contest scene (and who is, honestly?) you'll probably just smash your way through Rusturf tunnel and forget about it.
15 Oldale Town
Oldale Town also doesn't have a lot going for it, but it comes so early in the game that it's a bit more forgivable. It does have the Poké Mart representative who gives you a free potion, which is nothing to sniff at when you're just starting your journey. It also has a pretty funny roadblock in the form of a scientist tracking his own footprints.
14 Littleroot Town
No one particularly love Littleroot Town unless they're just nostalgic about Hoenn in general. There just isn't much of anything to do here. That's why you get your starter Pokémon and pretty much never come back. But you do get your starter here, so that's something.
13 Pacifidlog Town
This little floating town has a cool aesthetic and is the home of some interesting legends about various legendary Pokémon, but there just isn't that much to do. You can get a TM from the younger brother of the Pokémon Fan Club Chairman and you can roll the dice talking to the Mirage Island man, but Pacifidlog is unfortunately little more than a pit stop.
12 Petalburg City
Ah, Petalburg, home of our gym leader Father, Norman. The only gym leader in the whole game who flat out refuses our challenge until we've collected four other badges. Why? Is he afraid of stomping his beloved child into the dust? Don't condescend to us, dad. We don't want to play outside with the weird sick kid, we want to kick your Pokémon's butts.
11 Fallarbor Town
Fallarbor Town is fun conceptually. A little town situated so close to the base of the active volcano Mt. Chimney that everything is blanketed in a fine layer of ash. The routes nearby even have patches of long grass that change color as you knock the ash off by walking through them.
But other than the very useful Move Reminder, which can teach your Pokémon any move it's ever had the potential to learn, there isn't much more going on here.
10 Dewford Town
Dewford is one of the first places you visit after starting your journey and it stands out by being so visually different than the other cities and town you've seen. It's so bright and beachy that it really cements Hoenn in your mind as a tropical region. In nearby Granite Cave you'll make your first acquaintance with Champion Steven Stone. Plus it has the Dewford Hall, where you can basically start a cult by saying some random words to the trendy guy out front. What's not to love?
9 Lavaridge Town
Lavaridge might be small, but it's a popular destination because of the natural hot springs in the area. The springs are rumored to cure any ailment, but more importantly for us Pokémon trainers, there's a woman there who will just give you a Pokémon egg.
Plus a second one after you defeat the game's box legendary! It's also a good place to stock up on healing items, since there's an Herb Shop in town as well as a Pokémon Breeder selling cases of Moomoo Milk.
8 Rustboro City
Some trainers might be a little awed when first setting foot into Rustboro City. It's so much bigger than dinky Littleroot and Oldale that it makes you feel a little bit like a country bumpkin stumbling there way into the big city. It has a cool old stone construction look that makes it seem almost historical. It's also the home of your very first gym challenge featuring Rock-type Pokémon, and the plot-important Devon Corporation.
7 Fortree City
Fortree City is a collection of treehouses linked together by rope bridges, like every 8-year-old's fantasy home. Fortree probably exemplifies Hoenn's theme of living with nature, considering it's living within the forest instead of clearing room for the town. It's the location of the Flying-type gym. It's also the primary location of the Secret Base Guild—building bases is one of third generation's big gimmicks
6 Ever Grande City
Reaching Ever Grande City is an accomplishment; it's the location of Hoenn's Victory Road and the Elite Four. It's set high up on steep cliffs, and so is inaccessible unless you have a Pokémon that can swim up the powerful waterfall. But once you make it, the city is beautiful and lush. It's known for its large amount of colorful flowers. Take some time to enjoy the sights before trying to conquer the Pokémon League.
5 Mossdeep City
Mossdeep, in addition to being the location of the Psychic-type gym led by twins Tate and Liza, is also a city dedicated to research into the deepest reaches of space. It apparently has mild weather all year round, making it the ideal place to launch rockets.
The space center plays a big part in the plot of Emerald, but is mostly an interesting tourist destination in Ruby/Sapphire.
4 Slateport City
One of the first places the player will encounter their rival team, either Magma or Aqua, is in Slateport's Oceanic Museum. It's also one of the first towns that has a Contest Hall, and to receive Cosplay Pikachu in the generation VI remakes. It's also the home of the open air Slateport Market, which sells unique items like pokedolls, incense, and Secret Base decorations.
3 Sootopolis City
Sootopolis is a major milestone in the game. Not only is it where players will be awarded their final badge from the Water-type gym, but it's also the location of Origin Cave. That's where trainers have their encounter with their game's box legendary, Groudon or Kyogre, and have the opportunity to capture it. Sootopolis has a great design too, since it was built in the crater of a massive meteor strike. It's completely isolated from the rest of Hoenn unless you have Pokémon that can Dive or Fly.
2 Lilycove City
One of Hoenn's number one tourist sports, Lilycove has a wide variety of things to do and see. For one, it's where this generation's Department Store is located where players can choose from numerous offerings catered specifically to trainers' needs. It has a museum and a motel for more tourist-y folks. And Lilycove also has a harbor where the S. S. Tidal can carrying people to Slateport City, or to the Battle Frontier.
1 Mauville City
If Rustboro came as a shock to our little country bumpkin of a trainer, Mauville must be a whole different world. Mauville is far and away the largest city in Hoenn and has the greatest number of attractions. There's a food court, a cafe, and a gym. There's the Mauville Game Corner, where you can win any number of fabulous prizes, including rare Pokémon. And of course, who could forget Rydel's Cycles, where you can pick up a bicycle to zoom around the rest of Hoenn's many towns.