East Renfrewshire lies immediately south of the city of Glasgow and covers suburban towns and surrounding countryside. The council area includes Newton Mearns, Giffnock, Clarkston, Barrhead, Neilston and the village of Eaglesham, and it forms part of the commuter belt with road and rail links into Glasgow. Housing patterns range from suburban terraces and semis to pockets of farmland and moorland, with local services centred on the larger towns and community facilities distributed across smaller settlements.
The area is known for green spaces used for recreation and agriculture. Rouken Glen Park in Giffnock contains a boating pond, waterfall and pavilion that draw local visitors, while Eaglesham retains an 18th-century planned village layout around a village green. On the moor to the south, Whitelee windfarm extends into the council area and includes a visitor centre that interprets the turbines and the surrounding landscape. Local walking routes cross reservoirs and braes that give views back towards Glasgow and the Campsie Fells.
