What determines the order that things appear in list view?

The items in the list are ordered based on their distance from the center of the map view.

So, if you have tapped the home button to center the map on your location, the list will show you what’s closest to you.

When you are in map view and you change what you’ve selected (either by turning categories off and on, or by searching for something) the map will automatically zoom so that you can see everything that you’ve selected, or searched for.