Effingham is a small rural village, surrounded by the Green Belt, which here consists mostly of farmland, open green spaces, and some woodlands, particularly to the west and south. The village itself is architecturally homogeneous, with brick cottages interspersed with generous greenery. The main settlement is concentrated near Effingham Golf Club, with the high street containing some small stores, schools and other institutions. There is also a small settlement to the north, near Effingham Junction railway station (despite the name, there is only one line through the station). There are many small institutions and buildings dotted around the countryside, such as an independent girls’ school to the south, in Ranmore Common, and a lavish Edwardian country house to the southeast. Near to the woodlands is a YHA hostel, which is popular with those interested in walking and others who are on school trips.

The areas around Effingham have been inhabited since prehistoric times; there is evidence of Stone Age flint mining in the neighbouring village of Horsley, as well as flint traders operating in the Effingham area itself. A Roman camp was also discovered in 1802, although this was not preserved. The area was part of a manor for much of its history, and King Henry VIII would hunt on what is today Effingham Golf Course, staying at nearby Hampton Court. The Manor would pass through many owners, including George Pauling, who made a fortune in the railway expansions in Africa, planned under his friend Sir Cecil Rhodes.

Sir Barnes Wallis was an Effingham resident from 1930 until his death. He is renowned for inventing the bouncing bomb, used by the Royal Air Force to attack the dams of the Ruhr Valley during World War II. He also invented the geodetic airframe and the earthquake bomb, designed to penetrate the surface and detonate deep underground. He is buried in Effingham’s St. Lawrence Church. Also, Julian Bailey, an ex-Formula One driver and one of the racing drivers who acted as The Stig, lives in Effingham.

Public transportation links are one obvious downside in this neighbourhood, with the nearest station being a considerable distance away from the village. The schools in the area are also always oversubscribed, and competition can be very intense due to a large number of new families moving into the area.

Mole Valley council and Berkeley Developments have been locked in what has been described as a ‘bun fight’ over the redevelopment of The Howard of Effingham School. The proposed scheme will see a new school building built on the opposite side of Lower Road to the current campus. To fund this state of the art new building the developers argue that they should be allowed to build 372 private homes on the surrounding greenbelt land. However, the local council wish to keep the number of new houses down to the originally agreed to number of 258, which has led to a stalemate that is still unresolved as of late 2022.