Housing in Lithia is dominated by FishHawk Ranch, a master-planned community spanning roughly 3,800 acres of former ranch land and developed since the early 2000s. The community is organized into multiple sub-communities, each with its own character, lot sizes, and mix of builders, and was designed around lakes, conservation areas, and trail systems rather than a uniform grid. Homes skew toward single-family, family-oriented floor plans with community amenities such as pools, parks, and recreation facilities. Outside the master-planned core, Lithia retains older exurban and rural holdings, including larger-lot properties along Lithia Pinecrest Road and the surrounding county roads, offering a broader range of home types and a more open, semi-rural feel.

FishHawk Ranch is the defining neighborhood of Lithia, a large planned community built in phases around a network of parks, lakes, and trails, with its own collection of sub-communities that vary in style and setting. Much of the surrounding area is commonly referred to as Fish Hawk, reflecting the community's reach beyond the original development. To the west and north, Lithia blends toward the more established residential corridors of Riverview and Brandon, while the eastern and southern edges remain more rural, with acreage properties and older farm and ranch land. This gives homebuyers a spectrum from amenity-rich planned neighborhoods to quieter, larger-lot settings all within a few miles of one another.

Lithia is a family-centered community where recreation and schooling anchor daily life. The design of FishHawk Ranch, with its lakes, trails, parks, and community events, encourages an active, outdoors-oriented routine, and the presence of Alafia River State Park makes mountain biking, hiking, and equestrian riding part of the local culture. Weekends often revolve around the park's trail systems, neighborhood pools and playgrounds, and youth sports. As a commuter suburb, the pace is quieter than Tampa's urban core, but residents retain easy access to the shopping, dining, and entertainment of Brandon and Riverview, making Lithia a comfortable balance of suburban convenience and open space.

Lithia is served by Hillsborough County Public Schools, one of the largest districts in Florida. Several schools are located within FishHawk Ranch or within a mile of the community, including Bevis Elementary, Stowers Elementary, FishHawk Creek Elementary, and Pinecrest Elementary, along with Randall Middle, Barrington Middle, and Newsome High School. Bevis Elementary in particular is frequently cited among the area's top-rated schools, and the cluster of schools in and around FishHawk Ranch is a primary reason families choose the community. Private and preschool options are also available in the surrounding Fish Hawk and Riverview area.

Lithia sits east of Tampa and is reached primarily by car along the FishHawk Boulevard and Lithia Pinecrest Road corridors, with US-301 serving as a key alternative route toward Riverview and Brandon and on toward the region's interstate network. Commutes to downtown Tampa typically run about 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic, and the broader area's mean travel time to work is roughly 37 minutes. Public transportation is provided through Hillsborough Area Regional Transit, connecting Lithia to the wider county, though most residents rely on personal vehicles. The community's location keeps Brandon's retail and employment centers within a short drive.

Alafia River State Park is Lithia's signature outdoor asset, a regional destination known for its mountain-biking trail system of more than 20 miles, ranging from beginner-friendly routes to advanced climbs and technical features. The park also offers hiking and equestrian trails through forests and flatwoods, along with lakes, camping, and canoeing and fishing along the South Prong of the Alafia River. Within FishHawk Ranch, a network of community parks, playgrounds, and multi-use trails provides everyday recreation close to home. The combination of a major state park and purpose-built community trails makes outdoor access one of Lithia's defining features.