I have a shapefile of locations and have another shapefile with one location which is a Start Point.
I want to input the name of one of the locations and then Network Analyst will return the best route to the location from the Start Point.
Anyone know how this can be achieved using python?
You'll need to geocode the address to get the location in a feature layer/table (which can be in memory) then pass that feature layer/table into Add Locations (Add Locations—Help | ArcGIS Desktop ).
Of course for the geocoding, you'll need a geocoder or a geocoding service. If you have your own, you can use that, or you could also use Google or several other options. See the options in Geocode only one address in arcpy. or Geocode Addresses—Help | ArcGIS Desktop or arcgis desktop - How to geocode a single address in Python Script/ ModelBuilder? - Geographic Information Systems Stack … for ideas.