Housing in Kerens reflects both its railroad-town origins and its lakeside setting. The historic core holds older, modest single-family homes on compact town lots, while surrounding rural acreage offers larger parcels for those wanting room for workshops, gardens, or livestock. South of town, toward Richland-Chambers Reservoir, the mix shifts toward lake-oriented properties, including waterfront homes and lots in lakeside subdivisions with private piers or community boat access. Because the area remains a low-density corner of Navarro County, buyers here typically find a combination of established town homes, rural acreage, and occasional new construction on larger tracts.

Life in Kerens moves at a small-town pace. The school calendar, church gatherings, and community events set the weekly rhythm, and residents know their neighbors in a way that larger East Texas cities rarely offer. The town's agricultural heritage remains visible in the surrounding pastures and farm roads, while the lake introduces a second, more recreational culture of weekends spent fishing, boating, and entertaining on the water. Dining and shopping are modest and locally focused, with fuller retail, dining, and services a short drive away in Corsicana.

Kerens is served by Kerens Independent School District, which operates a single PK–12 campus in town. The district enrolls roughly 650 students, giving Kerens a close-knit educational environment where families often remain through graduation in the same facility. The compact district is a defining feature of the community; its one school serves as both an academic center and a gathering place for athletics, performances, and civic events.

Texas State Highway 31 is Kerens' principal roadway, running northwest to Corsicana and southeast toward Athens. Corsicana, the Navarro County seat, sits about fifteen miles away and provides access to Interstate 45, the main corridor linking the area to Dallas to the north and Houston to the south. Farm-to-market roads fan out from town into the surrounding countryside and toward Richland-Chambers Reservoir, making the lake easily reachable while keeping the town itself clear of heavy traffic.

Richland-Chambers Reservoir, one of the largest inland reservoirs in Texas by surface area, is the area's defining recreational asset. Formed by the impoundment of Richland and Chambers creeks south of Kerens, the lake supports fishing for largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, and white bass, along with boating, skiing, and shoreline recreation. Public boat ramps and access points ring the lake within a short drive of town, and the reservoir draws anglers from across North and East Texas. Away from the water, the surrounding countryside offers a network of quiet farm roads suited to rural cycling and driving.