The residents of Beech Grove enjoy the benefits that come with living in a small town and still having access to a large city. Beech Grove is a separate city located about 9 miles south of downtown Indianapolis and within Marion County, which has its own school system, police and fire departments, parks, library, and many other services. Although it is a mainly residential community, it is also home to many large businesses including St. Francis Hospital's Regional Heart Center.

With a low crime rate and few extremes of financial status, Beech Grove attracts residents looking for inexpensive homes near downtown. The generally neat and well-maintained neighborhoods in Beech Grove offer a range of housing options from new homes to comfortable ranches and historic cottages. Housing costs are generally between $60,000 and $125,000.

The city's public parks offer facilities for tennis, baseball, softball, volleyball, skateboarding, horseshoe pits and picnicking. One of the parks, Sarah T. Bolton Park, is named for the first lady of Hoosier poetry, best known for her poem, Paddle Your Own Canoe. Her home still stands on the South 17th Street and it is said her poem, Indiana, best describes Beech Grove.