Virginia Water has an adult population of 4814 with a greater skew towards the elderly than the national average [1]. The village's inhabitants are also substantially more wealthy than on average. Many of the village's houses are large detached homes situated on the private Wentworth Estate close to the famous Wentworth Golf Club. This estate hit the headlines in 1998 when General Augusto Pinochet was kept under house arrest on one of its houses prior to his extradition [1].
Virginia Water is on home to many commuters. It is close to the M25 and M3 motorways. The village also has a railway station on the line between London Waterloo and Reading. Heathrow airport is located eight miles to the north-east. The village supports two rows of stores, although many inhabitants travel to the nearby towns of Staines, Ascot and Windsor for shopping.
Virginia Water is noted by bird-watchers [1] as the best place in the country for viewing feral Mandarin Ducks.