As the original settlement on Rori, Narmle was nestled in the Narmle Swamp in the southwestern portion of Rori. The expansive Narmle Bog bordered the city to the south and east. The city's founders selected this location because they believed the bog would protect the settlement from any dangerous native inhabitants, while the lands to the north and west promised an abundance of natural resources. Unfortunately, life in Narmle proved much more difficult than any of the Naboo colonists expected, and the city never became the hub of agriculture that its original founders envisioned.
Narmle would have withered away if not for the onset of a devastating Brainworm Rot Plague nearly two hundred years before the Battle of Naboo. Narmle's inhabitants were commissioned to build a second settlement, Restuss, to quarantine infected colonists traveling to Naboo. The influx of credits and new labor helped Narmle expand into a small, thriving city. Medical research conducted in Narmle eventually helped cure the plague, and the Republic officials rewarded the city for its efforts, by funding the construction of a Center for Arts and Education. Although the city remained small when compared to Theed or Coronet, it was a far cry from its early days as a simple supply outpost for hard-working farmers.
Although technically under the control of Naboo's Queen Kylantha during 1 ABY, Narmle was largely self-governed by a handful of elected officials. Like Rori itself, Narmle went relatively unnoticed by most of the galaxy However, as the Galactic Civil War intensified, Governor Ferrox, who was charged with ruling the entire population of Rori, had his home and offices in Narmle.
Narmle maintained a friendly rivalry with its sister city of Restuss. As the only cities on Rori, Narmle and Restuss typically competed for funds, visitors, and settlers from Naboo. Narmle's inhabitants often exhibited a sense of superiority, stemming from the fact that Narmle natives actually built Restuss. The rivalry had become heated on occasion, although it had only rarely erupted into violence. This rivalry essentially ended with the decimation of the sister city in the Battle of Restuss.
In general, the residents of Narmle were a very open and welcoming people, both kind to strangers and hospitable to all visitors. Tourists were often directed to the fabled "Talking Bantha," a large and hairy bantha that apparently spoke with great insight and wisdom. Although scholars insisted that the Talking Bantha was a simple hoax, the verbose creature continued to attract curiosity seekers from across the galaxy. By the time of the Galactic Civil War, Narmle hosted the annual Narmle Memorial Rally, which attracted a large number of thrill-seekers from across the galaxy.