Boulevard's housing stock is defined by rural acreage and low density. The community covers a small area with only about 128 people per square mile, and residences tend to be single-family homes, ranch houses, and scattered homesteads on larger desert lots rather than conventional subdivisions. This gives Boulevard a distinctly rural real-estate character compared with the coastal and suburban communities of western San Diego County. Buyers here are typically drawn to privacy, open space, and mountain views, accepting a longer drive to services in exchange for land and solitude. New construction is limited, so the housing stock skews toward established, individual properties.

Boulevard is less a collection of formal neighborhoods than a dispersed set of rural settlements along the Interstate 8 and old Highway 80 corridor. The community encompasses the smaller nearby area of Manzanita, and sits within a chain of eastern San Diego County mountain-and-desert towns that includes Pine Valley to the west and Jacumba Hot Springs to the east. Rather than subdivisions, the area is characterized by scattered homesites, ranches, and open desert parcels, giving each property considerable separation from its neighbors. This settlement pattern reflects the region's history as a highway and rail corridor through the backcountry rather than a concentrated town.

Life in Boulevard is quiet, rural, and oriented to the outdoors. Residents live amid high-desert landscape where clear skies, mountain views, and open space define daily life, and the community has a notably diverse population relative to its small size. Local commerce is limited, so errands and entertainment typically involve a drive west toward San Diego or east toward the Imperial Valley. The area's identity is tied to the historic Highway 80 corridor and the border backcountry, appealing to people who prioritize solitude, dark skies, and self-sufficiency over urban convenience. It is a lifestyle of distance, space, and a slower pace.

Boulevard is served by the Mountain Empire Unified School District, which covers the rural mountain and desert communities of eastern San Diego County, including Campo, Potrero, Descanso, Pine Valley, and Jacumba. The district operates about ten schools enrolling roughly 1,900 students across a geographically large area, meaning school commutes can be significant in this spread-out region. The district includes elementary, junior high, and high school campuses as well as alternative education programs. Families in Boulevard attend these backcountry schools, which serve a small, dispersed student population across the county's eastern reaches.

Boulevard sits along Interstate 8, the principal east-west route connecting San Diego with the Imperial Valley and Arizona, and follows the path of old U.S. Route 80, the historic highway that preceded it. This position gives residents direct freeway access both west toward San Diego and east toward El Centro and Yuma. The community is part of the mountain-desert chain of settlements along the corridor, and much of local travel involves reaching neighboring towns for services. Because Boulevard is an unincorporated backcountry community with limited local amenities, personal vehicles are essential for nearly all trips.

Boulevard's recreation is rooted in its desert and mountain setting. The Laguna Mountain foothills and surrounding high desert offer open space for hiking, off-road exploration, and stargazing under dark skies. Just east along historic Highway 80 stands the Desert View Tower, a 70-foot stone landmark built in 1922 as a tribute to early pioneers, offering sweeping views over the desert. Nearby Jacumba Hot Springs recalls the region's resort past, while the broader backcountry provides access to public lands characteristic of eastern San Diego County. The open terrain and low population make Boulevard a gateway to a wide, uncrowded landscape.