Housing around Terlingua is dominated by desert acreage, historic adobe and rock structures, and modest off-grid and semi-off-grid homes rather than conventional subdivisions. The mining-era ruins and adobe ruins in the ghost town stand alongside scattered newer casitas, cabins, and ranch-style dwellings across the open desert. Many properties are remote, with well water, septic systems, and solar power, and lot sizes tend to be large. The area attracts buyers seeking solitude, dark skies, and proximity to Big Bend National Park rather than urban services. Housing stock is limited, and the surrounding landscape remains vast and lightly developed.

Terlingua is best understood as a scattered desert community rather than a traditional town. The historic Terlingua Ghost Town, with its mining ruins and the Starlight Theatre, anchors the area's identity. Study Butte, adjacent to the east, provides the nearest fuel, lodging, and services at the junction of Texas 118 and FM 170. Lajitas lies west along FM 170 toward Presidio, and the Rio Grande forms the international boundary with Mexico to the south. Locals sometimes refer to the whole stretch as "Greater Metropolitan Terlingua," reflecting a spread-out way of living tied to the river, the desert, and the national park.

Life in Terlingua is remote, independent, and shaped by the desert. The community blends a small year-round population with a steady flow of river guides, artists, and travelers drawn by Big Bend's landscapes. The revived ghost town hosts the Starlight Theatre restaurant and saloon, the Terlingua Trading Company, and the Big Bend Holiday Hotel, giving it an eclectic, laid-back character. Each November the chili cookoffs draw thousands to a town that otherwise moves at a quiet, desert pace. Daily conveniences are limited, with Alpine, about eighty miles north, providing the nearest full grocery, medical, and commercial services, and residents prize the solitude and self-reliance the setting demands.

Students in the Terlingua area are served by the Terlingua Common School District, a small public district based in unincorporated Brewster County. The district's single campus, Big Bend High School, is a K-12 school located adjacent to Study Butte with a Terlingua postal address, serving the full grade range in one building — a necessity in such a sparsely populated region. For higher education, residents typically look to Sul Ross State University in Alpine, about eighty miles north, or institutions in El Paso, Midland-Odessa, and San Antonio. Families considering the area should expect a very small, close-knit school setting with the practical trade-offs of extreme rural isolation.

Terlingua sits at the junction of Texas 118 and FM 170 in one of the most remote corners of the state. Texas 118 runs north roughly eighty miles to Alpine, the Brewster County seat, where it meets U.S. 90 and the nearest rail and air service; Alpine's Amtrak stop is the closest passenger rail. FM 170 runs west through Lajitas toward Presidio and east toward Study Butte and the Big Bend National Park western entrance. There is no public transit, and the nearest major commercial airports are in Midland-Odessa and El Paso, each several hours away. Personal vehicles with reliable fuel planning are essential for daily life and travel.

Recreation around Terlingua is defined by Big Bend National Park, whose western entrance is minutes away. The park offers desert and mountain hiking, Rio Grande rafting and canoeing, and backcountry camping across a vast and lightly visited landscape. The region's exceptionally dark skies make it a destination for stargazing and astrophotography. FM 170, the River Road between Lajitas and Presidio, is among the state's most scenic drives. The Big Bend Ranch State Park lies to the west, and local outfitters run river trips, jeep tours, and horseback rides. The November chili cookoffs remain the area's signature annual gathering, drawing thousands to the ghost town each year.