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Say what you want about the anime, but they perfectly captured that idyllic, almost Norman Rockwell-esque aesthetic of what a peaceful society with Pokemon would look like, and had the actual scope and size that the games didn't have because obviously you can't have a to-scale town or city in the games.
You'd have bustling cities teeming with industry, or small towns with more intimate streets and bridges. But they all looked impressive in that hazy, dreamlike watercolor from the first few seasons of the anime.
You could feasibly believe that the majority of people in the cities and towns live in harmony with eachother and the Pokemon, and had plenty of jobs and opportunities to support yourself and earn a living doing whatever you wanted. Other than Team Rocket or the occasional delinquent trainer, these anime cities that you saw from a distant vantage point really did come off like a utopia.
It was stirred feelings of awe when you were a kid and watched along with Ash, after whatever diversion on a route was the focus of an episode, to see him hike up to a cliff or hill or something and see the next city in all of its splendor. Then you would hear an instrumental arrangement of the city's theme music from the game play when he finally did enter in the next episode, and you got gratuitous footage showing off the happenings of the welcoming cityfolk, and Ash exploring with total comfort and safety until he ran into his next escapade. Then you'd look back as Ash did as he left for the next town, to see one last look at a city which puts any of ours to shame in one final shot, with bleeding reds and oranges pouring from the sunset sky over the buildings or landmarks.
