Pompton Lakes' housing stock is predominantly older single-family homes, many built in the first half of the 20th century, with a mix of colonials, capes, and ranches on compact borough lots. Lakeside properties along the redeveloped shoreline of Pompton Lake offer wooded, water-adjacent settings and are among the borough's most distinctive homes. The housing inventory also includes some multi-family and rental options near the commercial center. As a fully built-out Passaic County borough, there is little room for new large-scale construction, so the market is defined by established homes, mature landscaping, and a stable, family-oriented feel rather than new subdivisions.

Pompton Lakes is a compact borough, so its neighborhoods read more as sections than as large named developments. The area around Pompton Lake and Lakeside Avenue features the borough's most scenic residential streets, with wooded lakefront properties and redeveloped shoreline parkland. The central streets near the municipal building and downtown form the traditional heart of the community. To the west and north, the land rises into the Ramapo Mountains, where some streets offer distant views of the New York City skyline. Surrounding communities — Wayne, Wanaque, and Oakland — provide the next ring of shopping and services, but within the borough itself, the lakes and rivers remain the organizing landmarks.

Pompton Lakes offers a small-town, outdoor-flavored lifestyle within commuting distance of New York City. The lakes and rivers are woven into daily life, with residents fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and renting paddleboats on Pompton Lake during the summer. The borough's recreation commission runs seasonal programs for all ages, from tennis and bowling to field hockey and arts, and local parks and the Ramapo Valley County Reservation provide easy access to hiking. The downtown along Wanaque and Hamburg avenues holds a modest cluster of shops and restaurants, while the wider dining and entertainment options of northern New Jersey sit just beyond the borough. The result is a close-knit community that pairs lake recreation with a practical NYC commute.

The Pompton Lakes School District serves the borough with four schools — two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school — educating roughly 1,700 students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district's small size gives it a close-knit, community-centered feel, with students progressing through a single, unified system. For higher education, the borough is within reach of William Paterson University in Wayne, Ramapo College in Mahwah, and the broader network of colleges across northern New Jersey. Families also have access to private and parochial school options in neighboring Passaic and Bergen county communities.

Pompton Lakes is well connected for a small borough. NJ Transit bus service links the borough directly to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan, with the trip typically taking about 40 to 50 minutes, and express service runs during peak commuting hours. By car, Route 23, Interstate 287, and Routes 202 and 46 are all nearby, providing access to northern New Jersey's highway network, Newark and the region's airports, and points west into Morris and Sussex counties. There is no rail station within the borough itself, so most commuters rely on buses or park-and-ride options at nearby stations, but the overall commute into the city is among the more manageable for outer-ring New Jersey suburbs.

Recreation in Pompton Lakes centers on its waterways. Pompton Lake and the borough's other lake offer public access for shoreline fishing, kayaking, and canoeing, with paddleboat and kayak rentals available in summer and boat launching year-round. The lake has even produced New Jersey state-record catches, reflecting its genuine fishing quality. Nearby, the Ramapo Valley County Reservation and other county parks add hiking trails and open space in the Ramapo Mountains, while Hershfield Park and Lakeside Park provide playgrounds and gathering space. The borough's recreation commission runs seasonal leagues and classes, keeping both the waterfront and the parks active throughout the year.