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Waverley
, Nova Scotia is a community within the Halifax Regional Municipality.
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According to StatCan Census Year 2001, the population of Waverley was 1342.
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It is located 20 minutes from downtown Halifax.
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Waverley
is primarily residential, hence it is known as a bedroom community.
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Industries which have flourished in Waverley are mining (gold and gravel), millwork and forestry.
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The area of Waverley was first settled by Charles Pillsbury Allen, a chair factory owner.
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The high school in neighbouring Bedford carries the name of Charles P. Allen.
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The name Waverley comes from Sir Walter Scott's novels of the same name.
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Allen's son-in-law, Cornelius Blois, is said to have discovered gold in Waverley.
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Waverley
experienced two gold rushes beginning in 1866 and lasting through the early 1900's. In the 1930s there was an attempt to resurrect the gold mining industry but it was not successful.
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The famous ShubenacadieCanal system runs through Waverley, between LakeWilliam and LakeThomas.
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Many street names in Waverley reflect families that have been long established in the area.
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The gold mining tradition carries on today with the Labour Day weekend 'Gold Rush Days'. This festival includes the Miss Waverley Gold Rush contest. The mascot of Gold Rush Days is a cartoon character resembling Yosemite Sam called Gold Rush Gus.
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Prior to amalgamation, Waverley's fire department featured Gold Rush Gus on their yellow engines.