Hollywood's housing stock reflects its long history and its beachfront geography. The eastern, historic neighborhoods contain a significant collection of 1920s Mediterranean Revival and Mission-style homes, many in the Hollywood Lakes district, alongside mid-century ranches and small apartment buildings. Along the oceanfront, the Broadwalk is lined with condominium towers, boutique hotels, and older beach apartments offering direct water views. Inland, neighborhoods such as Emerald Hills, Royal Poinciana, and Oakwood Hills offer single-family homes on larger lots, often around golf courses, while downtown and the western corridors include a growing number of newer townhouses and mid-rise condominiums. This mix — from historic bungalows to high-rise waterfront condos — gives buyers a wider range of housing types than in many neighboring South Florida cities.

Hollywood's neighborhoods split between the beach, the historic east side, and the inland west. Hollywood Beach runs along the ocean with condos, hotels, and the Broadwalk, while the adjacent Hollywood Lakes district holds one of South Florida's finest concentrations of 1920s Mediterranean Revival homes and is protected in part as a historic district. Downtown Hollywood, centered on Young Circle, has evolved into a walkable arts and dining district with apartments, lofts, and townhomes. Emerald Hills, built around the Emerald Hills golf course, offers established single-family homes on curving streets, while Royal Poinciana and the Driftwood and West Lake Village areas provide mid-century and family-oriented housing further west. Each area retains a distinct character, giving households a clear range of urban, historic, and suburban choices within one city.

Hollywood pairs a classic beach-town pace with a growing arts and dining scene. The Broadwalk is the city's social spine, where residents bike, jog, and gather at oceanfront cafés, while downtown's Young Circle ArtsPark hosts concerts, markets, and performances around its amphitheater and galleries. The Downtown Hollywood Mural Project has turned building walls into a large outdoor gallery, and the neighborhood's independent restaurants, craft bars, and cafés draw a local crowd. Community life runs through the city's many parks, seasonal beach events, and cultural festivals. Residents also have easy access to the larger entertainment, dining, and sports offerings of Fort Lauderdale and Miami, making Hollywood a convenient base for enjoying the broader South Florida lifestyle.

Hollywood is served by Broward County Public Schools, the sixth-largest school district in the nation and the second-largest in Florida, which operates a broad network of elementary, middle, and high schools across the city and county. Hollywood's public options range from long-established neighborhood schools to magnet and charter programs, including arts- and science-focused academies. Private and parochial schools add further choice, and the city sits within reach of higher-education and technical institutions in greater Broward and Miami-Dade. Because school assignment follows specific attendance zones within a large district, families moving to Hollywood typically confirm their zoned schools by address, but the district's scale means residents have access to an unusually wide range of programs and resources.

Hollywood sits at the center of South Florida's transportation network. I-95 and Florida's Turnpike run through or alongside the city, and U.S. 1 (Federal Highway) connects the beach and downtown areas, putting Fort Lauderdale roughly 20 minutes to the north and downtown Miami about 30 minutes to the south. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport lies immediately north of the city, giving residents convenient access to domestic and international flights. Tri-Rail commuter rail stops in Hollywood along the Sheridan Street corridor, linking to Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and West Palm Beach, while Brightline intercity service is available from nearby Fort Lauderdale. The city's grid and waterfront geography also make walking and cycling popular along the Broadwalk and in the historic core.

Hollywood's recreation is anchored by its oceanfront and its parks. The 2.5-mile Hollywood Beach Broadwalk is the centerpiece for walking, running, skating, and cycling, with beach access, volleyball courts, and the Hollywood Beach Theatre along the way. Charnow Park adds a children's water playground, while North Beach Park extends the shoreline northward. Inland, the ArtsPark at Young Circle provides green space, an amphitheater, and performance venues downtown. The Anne Kolb Nature Center at West Lake Park protects more than 1,500 acres of coastal mangrove wetlands with paddling trails, a fishing pier, and a 68-foot observation tower — among the largest urban parks in Florida. Golf courses, tennis facilities, and neighborhood parks round out a year-round outdoor lifestyle.