West Richland's housing stock is dominated by single-family homes, much of it built during the city's steady post-incorporation expansion and in more recent master-planned communities on the city's west and south edges. Developments such as Red Mountain Ranch offer larger lots, views of Red Mountain and Candy Mountain, and a suburban, family-oriented character, while established neighborhoods nearer the Yakima River reflect the city's earlier decades. Lot sizes generally run larger than in the older core of Richland, and new construction continues to add inventory on the city's outskirts. The housing mix favors detached single-family residences, with a smaller inventory of attached and multifamily options concentrated near the city's commercial corridors.

West Richland is organized around a core of older neighborhoods near the Yakima River and newer subdivisions extending west toward Red Mountain. Red Mountain Ranch and the adjacent hillside communities are among the most recognizable, known for larger homes, views of the surrounding ridges, and proximity to the vineyards of the Red Mountain AVA. Neighborhoods along the riverfront and the Van Giesen Street corridor connect to parks, trails, and the West Richland Golf Course, while the Bombing Range Sports Complex anchors the city's recreational edge. Because West Richland grew outward from a single incorporated core rather than annexing many separate towns, its neighborhoods share a consistent suburban character while differing chiefly in age, lot size, and proximity to the river or the hills.

West Richland offers a lifestyle that mixes small-town community events with the amenities of a growing metropolitan area. The Yakima River is a focal point for recreation, from fishing and kayaking to riverside walking and biking paths, and the city's parks host a summer outdoor concert series, a harvest festival, and family-oriented events throughout the year. The Red Mountain wine country on the city's western edge adds tasting rooms and vineyard scenery within a short drive. Residents also draw on the broader Tri-Cities for shopping, dining, and cultural institutions in Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco. The result is a quieter, more residential alternative to Richland that still sits minutes from the region's major employers, hospital systems, and commercial districts.

West Richland is served by the Richland School District, which operates schools across West Richland and Richland and is among the stronger-performing districts in the Tri-Cities region. Hanford High School, located in Richland, is the principal high school for West Richland students, and the district also maintains elementary and middle schools that serve the city's neighborhoods. Higher education is close at hand through Washington State University Tri-Cities in Richland and Columbia Basin College in Pasco. For families weighing schools as part of a relocation, the Richland School District's breadth and its proximity to the science and technology institutions of the Tri-Cities are defining features.

West Richland sits within the Tri-Cities' highway network, with Interstate 182 and State Route 240 providing the primary connections to Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco. State Route 240 runs toward the Hanford Site and the Columbia Center commercial area, making the city a convenient base for workers commuting to Hanford and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco, reached in roughly twenty minutes via Interstate 182, offers regional and national air service. Within the city, residents rely on local arterials such as Van Giesen Street, and the metro area's road system remains the dominant mode of travel, consistent with the region's suburban, car-oriented layout.

The Yakima River anchors West Richland's outdoor life, offering fishing, kayaking, tubing, rafting, and bird watching along the city's eastern edge. The West Richland Golf Course sits beside the river, and the city maintains an extensive network of parks, bicycling and jogging paths, and the Bombing Range Sports Complex. Flat Top Park hosts a summer outdoor concert series and other gatherings. Candy Mountain and Red Mountain provide nearby hiking with open views, and the Red Mountain AVA offers vineyard visits within a short drive. For longer outings, residents reach the Columbia River, the Columbia Plateau's state parks, and the Blue Mountains within a couple of hours.