New Fairview's housing stock is dominated by single-family homes on rural and semi-rural lots, with acreage and manufactured and site-built options common across the city's spread-out footprint. The community's growth from about 877 residents in 2000 to roughly 1,400 in 2020 reflects steady demand for a suburban-rural mix, with most residents owning their homes rather than renting. Development remains low-density and scattered rather than subdivision-driven, giving the city a distinctly rural residential character compared with the more intensively built communities nearer Fort Worth.

New Fairview offers a quiet, low-key lifestyle defined by rural space and a deliberately small local government. The city has no large commercial core; daily life revolves around home, school, and the surrounding countryside, with errands and employment handled in nearby Fort Worth, Decatur, and the growing communities along the U.S. 287 corridor. Most residents own their homes, and the prevailing culture is one of self-sufficiency and neighborliness, with a volunteer fire department and a small set of local businesses anchoring civic life. It suits those who want acreage and quiet without leaving the metroplex.

New Fairview students attend either the Northwest Independent School District or the Decatur Independent School District. The northwestern section of the city, including the Chisholm Hills subdivision, is served by Decatur ISD, while the remainder attends Northwest ISD, a large, growing district headquartered in the North Texas area. Families relocating to New Fairview should confirm the district serving a particular address, as the boundary runs through the city.

New Fairview sits northwest of Fort Worth in western Wise County, within commuting distance of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The city is reached via the regional highway network serving the U.S. 287 corridor, which connects the area to Fort Worth and the broader North Texas economy. While New Fairview itself remains rural and low-traffic, its position near major growth corridors gives residents practical access to employment, shopping, and the DFW Airport area without sacrificing the community's quiet, acreage-based character.

Recreation in New Fairview is largely rural and self-directed, centered on the open space and acreage that define the community. Residents have room for outdoor pursuits on their own properties, and the surrounding Wise County countryside offers rural roads and open land. For organized recreation, parks, lakes, and cultural amenities are available in nearby Decatur, Fort Worth, and the communities along the U.S. 287 corridor, all within a short drive of the city.