The village has some public facilities, such as a fire station, a post office (ZIP Code 95389), a medical clinic, a convenience store, restaurants, gift shops, and a school (kindergarten through eighth grade).

The park's headquarters facilities and its main visitor center are also located here.

The architecture of Yosemite Village is characterized by shed style and makes extensive use of native woods.

The earliest 20th-century buildings were designed by landscape architect Charles Punchard Jr., among others in the National Park Service.

A Miwok village called Hok-ok'-wi-dok (alternatively Hokokwito or Hococwedoc) was formerly located opposite the Yosemite falls, at the future site of the Hutchings Hotel in Yosemite Village.

[4] The first US post office opened in 1869, originally named "Yo Semite".

[5] In 1906, Major H.C. Benson was commanded to build and garrison Fort Yosemite in the valley.

Yosemite has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa), meaning most precipitation falls during the mild winter, and the other seasons are nearly dry (less than three percent of precipitation falls during the long, hot summers).

Because of orographic lift, precipitation increases with elevation up to 8,000 feet (2,400 m) where it slowly decreases to the crest.

Snow does not typically persist on the ground until November in the high country.

[7] Mean daily temperatures range from 25 °F (−4 °C) to 53 °F (12 °C) at Tuolumne Meadows at 8,600 feet (2,600 m).

At the Wawona Entrance (elevation 5,130 feet or 1,560 metres), mean daily temperature ranges from 36 to 67 °F (2 to 19 °C).

The combination of dry vegetation, low relative humidity, and thunderstorms results in frequent lightning-caused fires as well.

Average annual precipitation is nearly 37 inches (940 mm), falling on 67 days.

In the California State Legislature, Yosemite Valley is in the 8th Senate District, represented by Democrat Angelique Ashby, and the 5th Assembly District, represented by Republican Joe Patterson.