Housing in Newberry Springs reflects its desert setting and unincorporated status. The stock is largely made up of scattered single-family homes on large, often multi-acre parcels, with a mix of older homesteads, ranch-style houses, and manufactured homes. Many properties rely on wells rather than municipal water, and lots frequently offer open desert views, space for equipment or animals, and distance between neighbors. This is not a community of master-planned subdivisions or homeowners associations; instead, the market is characterized by rural acreage and the opportunity to live off the region's established corridors on private desert land.

Life in Newberry Springs is unhurried and oriented to the outdoors. Residents trade dense amenities for open space, quiet, and expansive views of the Mojave, and the community's dark skies make it a notable spot for stargazing away from city light. The Route 66 legacy adds a layer of local identity, with the Bagdad Cafe and other roadside landmarks drawing visitors passing through on the old highway. Because the area is unincorporated, residents look to Barstow for most shopping, dining, and services, while community life centers on the elementary school, local events, and the shared experience of living in a remote desert outpost.

Students in Newberry Springs are served by the Silver Valley Unified School District, a public TK-12 district that also covers the High Desert communities of Daggett, Yermo, Calico, Fort Irwin, and the Marine Corps Logistics Base. Newberry Springs Elementary School serves the community's youngest students in grades TK-5, while older students attend middle and high schools elsewhere in the district, including Silver Valley High School. The district's broad geography reflects the dispersed nature of the region, and families should expect some school commutes to reach upper-grade campuses.

Newberry Springs sits directly on the Interstate 40 corridor, which follows the path of the old Route 66 through the Mojave. The interstate connects the community west to Barstow and beyond to the I-15 junction, and east toward Needles and the Arizona border. Barstow, about 20 miles to the west, provides the nearest full range of services and also serves as a regional rail and trucking hub. Given the community's rural layout, a private vehicle is essential for daily life, and many residents commute along I-40 and I-15 to work in Barstow or elsewhere in the High Desert.

Recreation around Newberry Springs is dominated by public desert land. Vast Bureau of Land Management holdings surrounding the community are used for dispersed camping, off-highway riding with ATVs and dirt bikes, wildlife viewing, and hunting. The Newberry Mountains Wilderness lies immediately to the south and offers hiking and backcountry terrain, while the "New Jack City" climbing area draws rock climbers from across Southern California. Farther afield, the Mojave National Preserve provides a larger landscape of dunes, Joshua trees, and volcanic cinder cones within a couple of hours' drive.