Waverly, Illinois

Waverly, founded in 1836, is the second largest city in Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,194 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Jacksonville Micropolitan Statistical Area. The town was named after the Waverley novels of Sir Walter Scott.

Geography
Waverly is in southeastern Morgan County, 26 mi southwest of Springfield, the state capital. Illinois Route 104 passes through the city as Elm Street, leading northwest 19 mi to Jacksonville, the county seat, and east 11 mi to Auburn. Illinois Route 111 has its northern terminus at IL 104 on the west side of Waverly; it leads south 11 mi to Palmyra.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Waverly has a total area of 1.04 sqmi, all land. Almost all of the city drains south to tributaries of Apple Creek, a west-flowing tributary of the Illinois River. The northeast corner of the city drains toward the South Fork of Lick Creek, a northeast-flowing stream that is part of the Sangamon River watershed.

Waverly is the geographical center of the Illinois Community College District #526, which is served by Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield.

Demographics
The estimated median household income in 2019: $51,630, $36,111 in 2000. The estimated per capita income in 2019: $25,548, $18,205 in 2000. The estimated median house or condo value in 2019: $83,532, $56,400 in 2000. The percentage of residents living in poverty in 2019: 7.6%. 40.1% of students that attend Waverly Community Unit School District 6, are listed as low income students: students eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunches, live in substitute care, or whose families receive public aid.

Sports
Waverly is the home of the Waverly Holiday Tournament, the longest running Class 1A holiday basketball tournament in the state of Illinois, for high school boys' basketball in December every year since 1951.

Notable people

 * Herk Harvey, film director, Carnival of Souls
 * Ralph C. Smedley, founder of Toastmasters International