LaBelle's housing reflects its rural, Old Florida setting. The city offers a mix of modest single-family homes on generous in-town lots, older Florida-style and ranch houses, and surrounding acreage parcels for those wanting space for horses, cattle, or citrus. Riverfront and canal-front properties along the Caloosahatchee and its tributaries form a distinctive niche, prized for water access. Newer subdivisions have appeared on the city's edges as Southwest Florida grows, but the prevailing character remains low-density and agricultural rather than suburban.

LaBelle is anchored by a compact historic core near the river, where the courthouse, government buildings, and older commercial blocks cluster along Bridge Street and the riverfront. Residential neighborhoods spread outward from this center, transitioning from established in-town streets to newer subdivisions and, beyond the city limits, scattered acreage and ranch properties. The riverside areas hold the city's most distinctive addresses, while the surrounding countryside keeps the town's scale intimate and its edges green.

Life in LaBelle is unhurried and deeply tied to the land and the river. Agriculture sets the seasonal rhythm, and the Caloosahatchee provides a backdrop for boating, fishing, and riverside recreation. The downtown remains a working small-town center, and the annual Swamp Cabbage Festival is the community's signature gathering, celebrating local food, music, and heritage. Residents do much of their shopping and dining in town or nearby Fort Myers, while savoring a pace and openness that the coast has largely left behind.

LaBelle's students are served by the Hendry County School District, which operates elementary, middle, and high schools in the city and across the county. Because LaBelle is the county seat and its largest community, many of the district's campuses are located in and around the city, serving families from throughout the rural county. The district reflects the area's agricultural and largely rural character, with schools that function as community anchors.

State Road 80 is LaBelle's primary corridor, running east toward Clewiston and west to Fort Myers and the Gulf coast, about 30 miles away. U.S. Highway 27 passes nearby to the west, providing routes north toward Lake Okeechobee and south toward the Everglades region. LaBelle Municipal Airport serves general aviation, while Southwest Florida International Airport at Fort Myers handles commercial flights. As in most of the Heartland, daily travel is by car.

Recreation in LaBelle centers on the Caloosahatchee River and the surrounding countryside. The river supports boating, fishing, and wildlife viewing, with public boat ramps and riverfront parks providing access. The Okeechobee Waterway, of which the river is a key link, allows long-distance cruising across the state. Inland, the annual Swamp Cabbage Festival, rodeo and agricultural events, and nearby conservation lands and preserves offer a distinctly Old Florida calendar of activities.