New Waverly is a small incorporated city in Walker County, Texas, positioned on Interstate 45 about 50 miles north of downtown Houston and just south of Huntsville. Its origins are tied to the railroad: the Houston and Great Northern Railroad founded the town in 1870 after the residents of the older settlement of Waverly, a few miles east, refused to grant a right-of-way. The new community was laid out ten miles west and quickly became the region's rail stop, while the original Waverly — since known as Old Waverly — gradually declined. Today New Waverly functions as a quiet rural gateway rather than a large suburb. The city's defining feature is its surroundings: the Sam Houston National Forest wraps around much of the area, and the U.S. Forest Service maintains its Sam Houston Ranger District office within the city limits. Hunters, campers, boaters, and hikers pass through on their way to forest trails, Huntsville State Park, Lake Raven, and Lake Conroe, which lies just to the southwest. Life in New Waverly suits people who want acreage and proximity to the outdoors without being far from services. The town has its own small school district, and larger amenities — Sam Houston State University, retail, and medical care — are a short drive away in Huntsville, while Conroe and The Woodlands anchor the commercial corridor to the south. The blend of national forest, lakes, and the I-45 corridor gives New Waverly a distinctly East Texas Piney Woods character rather than the feel of a conventional Houston bedroom community.