I am running into issues with getting pokestops in a more rural setting. The game is unsustainable with 2 pokestops in a couple mile radius. The 2 spots are parks. What are ways to get more pokestops in a rural neighborhood with limited parks? Suggestions?
Welcome to the forum!
There is a topic with a compilation of suggestions here: Tips for Rural Nominators
If you want to give your location, some folks on the forum are great at looking at maps and making suggestions. But do protect your privacy if you do.
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Thank you for such a quick response. I will read over the link you provided. What is the best way to give a location on here to those people? Give a cross road?
Coordinates would be good
44.983628,-92.802715
This would be the general location and looking for more pokestops within the whole neighborhood area. You will notice there is like 3 within a few square miles. It is rural so no side walks but people walk along the roads.
Thanks for the coordinates! That does indeed look like an area it would be difficult to nominate in.
I am not familiar with Wildlife Management areas, and if it is just for hunting it seems dangerous, but from some of the pictures on google it looks like it might be meant for exploration and it looks like it has some info boards about local birds perhaps?
In addition, there is a public LFL but unfortunately it is going to be in the same cell as the nearby tennis court. If there are other LFL on public ground they would be eligible.
I am not quite sure what this Camrose Hill Flower Studio & Farm is but it seems like a very beautiful event space that might meet socialize and explore criteria?
There also seem to be some equestrian facilities around, if they offer horse riding lessons they could be eligible.
If any of the quaint little ponds have info signs, picnic areas, or even scenic benches they could work.
Also, genuine question, does this fire hydrant have a lightsaber? Or is this standard?
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Thank you so much!!! This is very helpful wooperlooper. I appreciate the time you put into this. <3
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Your fire hydrants don’t have lightsabers? But seriously, It snows a lot here so that helps with being able to find the hydrant in the snow I believe.
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I don’t think we get enough snow to warrant little lightsabers though I admit they look extremely cool
Would you be able to explain how you approached looking and finding things so I can learn to do it myself?
One thing I especially look for is public art. Churches qualify as social, but if the building crosses a grid line, look for artwork away from the front door and get more. Same for restaurants, other commercial buildings, etc. Note that indoors is okay as long as publicly accessible.
I’ve had 18 stops approved. Three little libraries, a monument sign (at the main gate/driveway of a National Guard facility), three statues, a memorial plaque, a framed poster (in a restaurant), a stained glass window (in a church), a dog park, a swimming pool, and six murals (most of them inside or outside of restaurants).
You can take a look in detail at your parks, it might be possible to add more than 1 stop? A park can often have multiple eligible items within it. You can submit park entrances even if they don’t have a sign, as well as items within the park. They usually need to be appealed: example here
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What frealafgb says is the biggest piece of advice, IMO. I cant tell you how many times i come along and there’s only 1 wayspot for a place that could have 3 or 4. Since there IS a wayspot, most people just ignore the locarion thinking it has already been covered. But this requires you to really understadn maps and the Pokemon GO spacing rules. Many people don’t want to find the tools to help with that.
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Agree with this and @frealafgb so much. We have a local playing fields. On it we have the following stops: 3 entrance signs, enclosed playground, a dance academy, a piece of outdoor gym equipment (all pieces are waypoints but only one in game due to S2 cells), 2 memorial benches, a basketball hoop and court and the playing fields open space itself.
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Recently I added 3 stops to a local recreation ground. A bench plaque about an oak tree planted 20 years ago, the sports pavilion, and a new playground area that was distinct from the existing stop for a climbing frame
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Usually I just check what is marked on Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, or Apple Maps first. I also check waymarkedtrails for hiking or biking trails. Then, I check the satellite images to see interesting areas and then use street view to take a closer look. I also check what spots are there already to see if something else at that location is eligible. After that I usually search for keywords like café, church, gym, playground etc.If nothing turns up I just drive the google car around
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What grid system are you taking about and how to I see that?
That’s a difficult area to submit in. I see large amounts of widely spaced single family homes and not much else. Unfortunately this will be an area where you’ll have to drive (to somewhere else) in order to play Pokemon Go “well”. There are several parks around, but they’re small and not within walking distance.
The wildlife management area may be the best nearby possibility. Does it have hiking trails? Often these will have trail markers, nature or educational signs and markers, all of which make great nominations.
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Pokemon Go uses S2 Cells to determine what can become a Stop or Gym. Full details can be found at…
To show the cells there are “Add Ons” tools that overlay the wayfarer map with the cells. These are not endorsed by Niantic therefore we are unable to link to them here but if you search for “Wayfarer Tools” you should be able to find them. You can also join the Discord server where you can ask questions if you get stuck.
Good Luck
Disclaimer: Knowledge of the cells should never be used to misplace wayspots to get them on the map. This is Abuse and can lead to suspensions to your Wayfarer and Games accounts.
Knowledge of the cells should only be used to…
- Determine whether you nomination will be a stop if accepted, trigger a new Gym.
- Identify locations where suitable nominations can be searched for knowing that it will create a stop / trigger a new Gym.
- Position a waypoint on POIs with more than 1 suitable location. Example: A football field, recommended position is behine 1 of the goals. 1 cell might already ocupied but the other is not.
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Honestly, the only thing you can really say is, “Yeah… that’s just how U.S. suburbs are built.”
Most U.S. cities split residential areas from anything remotely resembling a workplace, so everyone ends up driving 10+ miles from their cookie‑cutter suburb into downtown.
Wayfarer‑type POIs basically don’t exist out there, and since PoGo doesn’t sprinkle stops every half mile like some MMO loot system, the whole place turns into a giant nothingburger.
So instead of risking a ban by forcing Low-quality pokestop into areas with zero legit POIs, the “correct” way to play is to hop in your car, drive 20 miles to an actual city, park somewhere, and just walk loops around the parks and nearby streets like everyone else.
I used to live in the suburbs too, and there were stretches where you couldn’t find a single pokestop for miles. I’d literally drive 50 miles to a city with 100k–200k people just to play somewhere that wasn’t a wasteland.