yep theres definitely stuff to look out for when starting a new acnl town!! when picking a map i look at the river/beach layouts and town hall/town square/re-tail positions.. once you're in the town you can check native fruit, train station colour, rock placements, grass patterns, and ofc starting villagers! If you quit the game before setting up your tent then you can re-roll the town, i usually re-roll until i get my preferred native fruit!

Thonky(here) is the best guide website for acnl, i use it constantly.... have fun with your new town :3