Irvington's housing stock reflects its development as an early 20th-century streetcar-and-railroad suburb that grew dense over time. The township is built out with a mix of older single-family and two-family homes, attached housing, and apartment buildings, much of it dating to the early-to-mid 1900s. Lot sizes are typically small and the street grid urban. As an established inner-ring community adjacent to Newark, Irvington offers relatively attainable, transit-accessible housing within commuting distance of Newark and New York, with many properties reflecting the township's long residential history.

Irvington is a dense, urban township where neighborhood life runs close to the street and transit. The community is notably diverse, and daily routines center on local schools, houses of worship, and small businesses along its commercial corridors. Irvington Park provides an in-town green space for gatherings and recreation, and the recreation department runs programs that make use of the township's parks and fields. With Manhattan and Newark minutes away, Irvington functions as an accessible, established residential community within the larger North Jersey urban landscape.

Irvington is served by Irvington Public Schools, a public district covering pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district is one of New Jersey's former Abbott districts, a state designation for certain lower-wealth school systems that directs additional funding and support. Schools are spread across the township's neighborhoods, and families also have access to nearby charter, magnet, and private options in Essex County. The district is a central institution in the community, serving a student body that reflects the township's diversity.

Irvington's transportation is anchored by the NJ Transit bus system and the Irvington Bus Terminal, a hub in the center of the township with routes connecting to Newark Penn Station and into Manhattan, typically in about 35 to 45 minutes. From Newark Penn Station, commuters can transfer to PATH trains and NJ Transit rail. Newark Liberty International Airport is nearby, adding convenient air access. Major highways, including the Garden State Parkway and Interstate 78, run close to the township, making Irvington well connected by both transit and road within the Newark-New York corridor.

Irvington's central recreational asset is Irvington Park, an Essex County facility whose varied, tiered landscape and mature shade trees offer a green retreat within the densely built township. The township recreation department administers parks, fields, and community programs, and additional county facilities and open space are accessible across Essex County. Given Irvington's urban density, the park system plays an important role in neighborhood life, and the township's location also puts larger regional recreation, from Branch Brook Park in Newark to the wider county park network, within easy reach.