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Town Overview
Waverly is the largest of Lancaster County's satellite towns, a city of 4,279 people about 11 miles northeast of Lincoln and squarely inside the Lincoln metropolitan area. It has grown steadily and fast — 2,448 residents in 2000, 3,277 in 2010, 4,279 in 2020 — across 2.43 square miles at an elevation of about 1,125 feet.
The town dates to 1870, when the railroad reached the site, and was incorporated as a village in 1885. Its name comes from Waverley, Walter Scott's 1814 novel; several of the street names were taken from the book as well.
Waverly consolidated its school district with the surrounding country districts between 1921 and 1966, which is why a town of this size supports a full four-building school system today. Notable former residents include the plant breeder Henry Beachell (1906–2006) and the politician Charles J. Warner (1875–1955).
Adjacent Counties & Nearby Towns
Lancaster County is Nebraska's second most populous county, with 322,608 residents in 2020 across 846 square miles, and its seat is Lincoln, the state capital. It borders Saunders County to the north, Cass County to the northeast, Otoe County and Johnson County to the southeast, Gage County to the south, Saline County to the southwest, and Seward County and Butler County to the northwest.
Nearest towns. Davey is about 9 miles northwest, Cheney about 10 miles south-southwest and Raymond about 14 miles west-northwest. Downtown Lincoln is about 11 miles southwest; Omaha is roughly 45 miles northeast up Interstate 80. Distances given here are straight-line measurements.
Points of Interest & Events
Waverly is first and foremost a place people live. It is the closest thing Lancaster County has to a full-service commuter town outside Lincoln itself, with its own school system, parks and business district rather than the single main street typical of the county's villages. The category buttons above list what is currently in the directory for Waverly.
Interstate frontage. Waverly sits on Interstate 80 at the eastern edge of the Lincoln metro, which makes it a natural stop on the Lincoln–Omaha corridor — and a large part of why the town has nearly doubled in twenty years.
Events. No single recurring town-wide celebration could be independently verified for Waverly at the time of writing, so none is claimed here. If you run or know of one, we would like to list it.
Education & Health
Schools. Waverly School District 145 runs four buildings, all in Waverly: Evelyn Hamlow Elementary (pre-K to 2nd grade), Waverly Intermediate (3rd to 5th), Waverly Middle School (6th to 8th) and Waverly High School (9th to 12th). The district is the product of consolidations carried out between 1921 and 1966 with the surrounding rural districts.
Health care. Waverly has no hospital of its own, but it is about 11 miles from Lincoln, which has the full range of hospital care in the region — Bryan Health, CHI Health St. Elizabeth and Nebraska Medicine facilities are all within a short drive.
Highway Access
Interstate 80 runs along Waverly, giving the town direct interstate access — unusual among Lancaster County communities and the main reason for its growth. Lincoln is about 11 miles southwest and Omaha roughly 45 miles northeast.
U.S. Route 6, the old Lincoln–Omaha highway, runs through the area parallel to the interstate and remains the local through route.
Rail. The railroad that created Waverly in 1870 still runs through the town, freight only. The nearest commercial airport is Lincoln Airport, and Eppley Airfield in Omaha is under an hour away.
Waverly is a city of 4,279 in northeastern Lancaster County, about 11 miles northeast of Lincoln on Interstate 80, and the largest of the county's satellite communities. Founded in 1870 when the railroad arrived and named for Walter Scott's novel Waverley, it has grown by three-quarters since 2000 on the strength of its interstate access and its own four-building school system, Waverly School District 145.
Navigate & Explore Waverly
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Road Conditions: Nebraska 511 — 511.nebraska.gov
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