Sky Valley's housing stock is built around its resort origins. The community combines privately owned single-family homes with condominium developments and a timeshare facility, and a significant share of the housing functions as second homes and vacation properties. Architectural styles favor mountain and lodge-influenced designs that fit the wooded, sloped terrain. Buyers are typically drawn to the elevated, cool-climate setting and the on-site amenities of Sky Valley Resort rather than to a traditional subdivision structure, so the market here skews toward seasonal and retirement-oriented ownership.

Rather than a grid of named neighborhoods, Sky Valley is organized around its resort core and the homes and condominium developments that radiate along the mountain roads. The city's elevation and the surrounding Rabun County landscape of ridges, streams, and waterfalls shape each area. Because the northern city limit is the Georgia–North Carolina line, the community also functions as a gateway to the Highlands-Cashiers region across the border, and it shares a small-town orbit with Dillard and Clayton.

Sky Valley offers a resort-anchored mountain lifestyle. The Sky Valley Resort's golf course, swimming, and tennis facilities form a social center, while the cool summer climate draws seasonal residents seeking relief from lower-elevation heat. The community's small year-round population and its position at the edge of the Blue Ridge make for a quiet, nature-oriented way of life, with nearby wineries, farm-to-table dining in Clayton and Dillard, and mountain towns just across the state line in North Carolina.

Students in Sky Valley attend Rabun County Schools, a single district whose boundaries cover the entire county and whose offices are based in Tiger. The district serves the communities of Clayton, Dillard, Mountain City, Pine Mountain, Sky Valley, Tallulah Falls, and Tiger, and operates the county's elementary, middle, and high schools. Families drawn to the area's second-home and seasonal character often pair mountain living with the district's small-school environment, where campuses and class sizes remain intimate.

Sky Valley sits just south of the North Carolina state line and about two hours northeast of Atlanta. The community is reached from neighboring Dillard, which lies on the U.S. 23/441 corridor, the principal mountain route through Rabun County. That highway provides the connection to Clayton, the county seat, and onward toward the Atlanta region, while Highlands, North Carolina, is a short drive across the border. The area's roads are winding and mountainous, suited to its terrain.

Outdoor recreation defines Sky Valley's appeal. The Sky Valley Resort provides golf, tennis, and swimming within the city, while Black Rock Mountain State Park, Georgia's highest state park at about 3,640 feet, lies nearby and offers hiking trails, overlooks, and a small fishing lake. Tallulah Gorge State Park and its dramatic canyon are also within reach, and Rabun County's many waterfalls have earned it a reputation as the waterfall capital of Georgia. Anglers, hikers, and those seeking cooler mountain air all find their footing here.