Anaheim Hills' housing reflects its origins as a deliberately low-density hillside development. The stock spans several decades, from the original 1970s homes built using pioneering landform grading to larger custom and semi-custom residences on view lots. Homes tend to sit on generous lots with mature landscaping, and many command views of the canyons, golf course, or city lights. The community also includes townhomes and attached housing in some areas, but the overall character is spacious and residential rather than dense. Buyers are typically drawn by the combination of hillside privacy, established neighborhoods, strong schools, and freeway access to the rest of Orange County.

Anaheim Hills is composed of numerous distinct residential tracts and neighborhoods rather than a single uniform subdivision. A few scattered low-density areas, including Peralta Hills and Mohler Loop, predate the major development, while the hillside communities built from the 1970s onward added a succession of neighborhoods along the ridges and canyons. Many are organized around their own parks, schools, and view corridors, with names that reflect the area's terrain. The community's defining physical features are the Santa Ana Canyon to the north, the golf course at its center, and the open-space canyons such as Oak Canyon that thread through the neighborhoods and preserve a natural character.

Anaheim Hills offers a distinctly suburban, outdoor-oriented lifestyle within the city of Anaheim. Residents trade the flat, dense neighborhoods of central Anaheim for winding hillside streets, larger lots, and views of the Santa Ana Canyon and surrounding ridges. Mornings and weekends often involve hiking the trails of Oak Canyon Nature Center, a round at the community golf course, or walks along neighborhood paths. The area is heavily family-oriented, with highly regarded schools and numerous parks, and residents lean toward an active, car-centered daily routine. At the same time, the shopping, dining, and attractions of Anaheim and Yorba Linda remain just minutes away.

Anaheim Hills is served primarily by the Orange Unified School District, which operates a number of elementary, middle, and high schools in the area, several with strong reputations that draw families to the community. The district's Anaheim Hills campuses are closely tied to neighborhood life, and the community's family-oriented character is reinforced by its schools. Some homes near the Yorba Linda border fall within other district boundaries, so school attendance zones can vary by specific street. Private school options and higher education institutions, including nearby community colleges and universities, round out the educational landscape for residents.

Anaheim Hills benefits from direct freeway access that connects it to the broader Southern California region. State Route 91 runs along the northern edge of the community toward Riverside and the Inland Empire to the east and Los Angeles to the west, while State Route 241, a toll road, links the area south to the Irvine and coastal Orange County corridor. State Route 55 and Interstate 5 are also within easy reach. Commuting is predominantly by car, though Metrolink rail service is available nearby in Anaheim and Orange for access to Los Angeles and San Diego. The community's hillside layout makes private vehicles the primary mode for most daily travel.

Anaheim Hills is rich in outdoor recreation. Oak Canyon Nature Center, a 58-acre park in the heart of the community, offers four miles of trails through oak woodland, grassy fields, and coastal sage scrub, with a year-round stream and a nature center for educational programs. The Anaheim Hills Golf Course provides 18 holes set into the hills, and numerous neighborhood parks, trails, and open-space preserves dot the surrounding ridges. Nearby regional destinations include Irvine Regional Park and the Orange County Zoo, the Nixon Library grounds in Yorba Linda, and the extensive trail systems of the Santa Ana Canyon area, giving residents year-round options for hiking, cycling, and family outings.