Tarpley's real estate is ranch country rather than subdivision land. The area is dominated by Hill Country ranches and rural acreage, with properties that often include limestone terrain, live-water creeks, and abundant wildlife — features prized by buyers in this part of Bandera County. Homes range from older ranch houses to custom Hill Country homes and lodge-style retreats, frequently set on tracts of tens to hundreds of acres. There is no tract development, and the market is defined by land value and natural amenities. Buyers are typically drawn by hunting, ranching, recreation, and the privacy that only large-acreage Hill Country living provides.

Tarpley has no platted subdivisions or formal neighborhoods; it is a dispersed Hill Country settlement strung along the farm-to-market road that runs southwest from Bandera toward the Medina County line. Ranch properties, guest lodges, and individual homes are spread across the surrounding hills, separated by pastures and cedar breaks. The community's few landmarks — its post office, the roadside eatery, and area ranches — serve as informal gathering points. This scattered, large-acreage settlement pattern means neighbors are often out of sight of one another, giving Tarpley the privacy and open character that define rural Bandera County.

Tarpley's lifestyle is quiet, rural, and deeply tied to the Texas Hill Country. Life here is unhurried, set among limestone hills, live oaks, and clear-running creeks, with ranching and outdoor pursuits at its center. The community has no commercial core, but nearby Bandera — the self-styled "Cowboy Capital of the World" — offers dude ranches, rodeos, dining, and river outfitters within a short drive, and the local Mac & Ernie's Roadside Eatery has become a well-known Hill Country stop. It suits those seeking seclusion, ranch acreage, and a connection to the land, while staying within reach of San Antonio for work and city amenities.

Tarpley is served by Bandera Independent School District, a public district covering more than 400 square miles across the eastern half of Bandera County. The district serves the rural communities of Bandera, Pipe Creek, Lakehills, and Tarpley from campuses in and around Bandera, about 12 miles northeast. This means Tarpley students attend Bandera ISD schools on a short rural commute. The district is the educational anchor for this part of the Hill Country, with the nearest higher-education options in San Antonio and Kerrville within about an hour's drive.

Tarpley is reached by farm-to-market roads that connect it to Bandera, about 12 miles northeast, and south toward Medina County. Bandera sits on Texas Highways 16 and 173, which link the area to San Antonio roughly an hour southeast and to Kerrville to the northwest. The community is entirely car-dependent, with no public transit, and its rural roads wind through the limestone hills that define the region. San Antonio International Airport is the nearest commercial airfield, about an hour and a quarter away, serving both domestic and connecting flights.

Tarpley is surrounded by some of the Hill Country's best outdoor recreation. The Hill Country State Natural Area, immediately to the east, protects rugged limestone hills and miles of hiking, mountain-biking, and equestrian trails, with deliberately primitive camping. The Medina River, accessed from nearby Bandera, offers kayaking and tubing, while Medina Lake provides boating and fishing. Several guest ranches, including 7 Canyons Ranch, offer lodging and ranch experiences, and the area's abundant wildlife makes hunting a common pursuit. Combined with the scenic farm-to-market roads and clear Hill Country creeks, Tarpley is a base for the outdoor Texas.