Nutley's housing stock is anchored by early-twentieth-century single-family homes, many built during the township's growth in the early 1900s, with surviving examples from the early 1800s documented by the Nutley Historical Society. Architectural character runs from Colonial and Victorian-influenced homes to more modest frame and brick houses on compact lots, reflecting the township's history as a riverside commuter suburb. Side streets off Franklin Avenue and the residential neighborhoods near the Passaic River hold much of this older fabric. The township also includes a selection of two-family homes, garden-style apartment buildings, and some infill construction, giving the market a broader range of housing types than its small-town image suggests. Because Nutley is a fully built-out municipality of roughly 3.4 square miles, turnover comes largely from resales of existing homes rather than large new developments, which helps preserve the established, tree-lined street grid.

Nutley's neighborhoods are defined more by their historical associations and geography than by formal boundaries. The Enclosure, near the Passaic River, is the township's best-known historic district, tied to the artists' colony that gathered there in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Nutley Gardens, in the northern section of town, is a park-like residential community close to the Garden State Parkway and major regional routes. Around Yanticaw Park and Kingsland Park, residential streets feature older single-family homes within walking distance of green space and schools. Franklin Avenue serves as the spine connecting these areas, with the densest commercial activity concentrated near the downtown. The township's compact size means most neighborhoods are within a short drive of schools, parks, and the train station, reinforcing the sense of a single cohesive community rather than a collection of separate enclaves.

Daily life in Nutley centers on Franklin Avenue, where a concentration of family-run restaurants, diners, and small shops gives the downtown a distinctly local, small-town rhythm. The dining scene leans heavily on Italian-American staples and wood-fired pizza, alongside neighborhood diners and casual cafés, rather than chain-heavy commercial strips. The township's artistic legacy — rooted in the Enclosure artists' colony — still surfaces in community events and civic organizations, adding a cultural thread to everyday life. Municipal facilities, houses of worship, and civic groups anchor a calendar of local events that keeps residents connected. For bigger-city amenities, Nutley's location within Essex County puts residents within a short drive of the restaurants and entertainment of Montclair, Clifton, and Bloomfield, while New York City remains a quick rail or bus trip away.

Public education in Nutley is provided by Nutley Public Schools, a single K-12 district serving about 4,100 students across seven schools. The district operates five elementary schools — Lincoln, Radcliffe, Spring Garden, Washington, and Yantacaw — that serve students in kindergarten through sixth grade, followed by John H. Walker Middle School and Nutley High School, a comprehensive high school of more than 1,200 students. The New Jersey Department of Education has classified the district within District Factor Group "FG," a socioeconomic grouping among the state's higher categories. The township also sits within reach of private and parochial school options elsewhere in Essex and Bergen counties. The centralized, one-district structure means families generally move through the same school system from kindergarten through graduation, a point of continuity that resonates with relocating buyers.

Nutley is well positioned for commuters heading into New York City and northern New Jersey's employment centers. NJ Transit's Main/Bergen County Line serves the township at the Nutley station, offering a direct rail link into Hoboken and, with a transfer, Midtown Manhattan. DeCamp bus service has historically provided an alternative commuter route across the Hudson. By road, the Garden State Parkway runs along the township's western edge, and Routes 3, 21, and 7 connect Nutley to Clifton, Newark, and the broader North Jersey highway network. The township is roughly 12 miles from Manhattan and within a short drive of Newark Liberty International Airport. This combination of a local rail stop, commuter buses, and access to major highways makes Nutley a practical base for households with jobs in the city or the surrounding region.

Nutley's park system provides green space throughout the compact township. Kingsland Park and Yanticaw Park are among the most-used, offering walking paths, sports fields, and playgrounds that anchor neighborhood recreation. The Passaic River forms the township's eastern boundary and gives parts of Nutley a waterfront setting, with adjacent open space along the riverbank. The township's recreation department runs programs and maintains facilities for youth and adult sports, and the public library and municipal amenities add to the community's civic infrastructure. Residents also benefit from proximity to larger regional parks and the wider recreation network of Essex County, including the Branch Brook Park system in nearby Newark and Belleville. For those seeking more extensive trails and open space, the parks of the Watchung Reservation and the Meadowlands are a short drive away.