Nakusp offers a rural lifestyle with easy access to larger centers. Inexpensive outdoor activities are accessible for family enjoyment all year round. One can choose to live in town close to amenities or on an acreage only minutes from downtown. Residents of Nakusp would call it, "small town living at its best ".

One elementary school and one secondary are within Nakusp. All secondary school students in the surrounding area attend school in Nakusp while two small elementary schools operate in communities south of Nakusp. The Nakusp Child Care Center is a non-profit organization providing a play school program and day care services to children ages three to five years.

An extension of Selkirk College from Castlegar offers adult basic education courses, university transfer courses, vocational training and leisure-time courses.

Nakusp Community Volunteer Services provides the area with home support workers, a family services counsellor, meals on wheels, a volunteer bureau and a woman's program. Other services are offered in Nakusp by a massage therapist, chiropractor, a dentist, an optometrist, and Social Services and Housing has a field office providing income assistance and child protection services.