Townsend's best-known neighborhood is Shellman Bluff, a waterfront enclave along the Julienton River that has long served as a fishing and shrimping community. Its riverfront homes, docks, and boat ramps give it a distinctly coastal character within the wider Townsend area. The core of Townsend itself lies along State Route 57, where homes and small holdings spread through a rural, lightly developed landscape. Beyond these nodes, the community dissolves into McIntosh County's pine flatwoods, marsh edges, and scattered farm and timber lands. The result is a place defined less by formal subdivisions and more by a patchwork of riverfront, marsh-front, and rural inland properties.

Townsend's lifestyle is quiet and tied to the water. Fishing and shrimping have long shaped the local economy and identity, particularly in the Shellman Bluff area, and the tidal rivers and creeks remain central to daily life for many residents. The pace is rural and unhurried, with a small number of local businesses and services rather than a commercial downtown. For dining, shopping, and larger errands, residents turn to nearby Darien, the county seat, or make the roughly hour-long trip to Savannah. The community's appeal lies in its low-key coastal setting, where marsh views, boat ramps, and open space are part of the everyday landscape rather than seasonal amenities.

Students in Townsend attend the McIntosh County School District, the countywide public system based in Darien. The district serves Townsend along with Darien, Crescent, Eulonia, and the rest of McIntosh County, meaning families travel to neighboring Darien for the district's schools. Because the county is small and its population spread out, this centralized arrangement is standard for the area. For families considering Townsend, the district's Darien campus is a short drive away, and the community's coastal location means school life is paired with a rural, outdoor-oriented upbringing.

Townsend is reached from Interstate 95 at Exit 58, connecting to State Route 57, which runs through the community toward Darien and the coast. This placement puts Savannah roughly an hour to the north and Brunswick and the Golden Isles to the south, both reachable by the same interstate corridor. U.S. Route 17 runs parallel to the coast a few miles to the east, providing the region's slower scenic alternative. Transportation is almost entirely by private vehicle, with no passenger rail serving McIntosh County and limited local transit, so residents plan their commutes and errands around the car and the I-95 spine.

Outdoor recreation is Townsend's strongest asset. The Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge, just east of the community, covers more than 2,700 acres of salt marsh, freshwater pools, and forest and has recorded more than 340 bird species, making it a destination for birding, hiking, and wildlife photography. Boating, fishing, and crabbing are available throughout the area's tidal creeks and rivers, with Shellman Bluff providing river access. Offshore, Sapelo Island offers state-managed wildlife areas and a largely undeveloped barrier-island landscape, reachable by ferry from the Darien area. Together these resources give Townsend residents direct access to the quieter, more protected side of the Georgia coast.