The town is connected to Liverpool in the south and Southport to the north by Merseyrail's Northern line at Waterloo station.

For elections to Sefton Council, the southern part of Waterloo is within the electoral ward of Church and is represented by three councillors.

Waterloo is made up of predominately Georgian, Edwardian and Victorian villas, mews and terraces, facing the sea.

A series of public gardens – built as a job creation scheme during the 1930s Great Depression – run adjacent to the esplanade that abuts the marina leading to the coast and beach.

[6] Southport Waterloo Running Club used the cinder track as their base for about 15 years until the Litherland Park Sports Centre was built in 2007.

[9] In 2019, a 3 acre wildflower meadow was established instigated by local resident Linda Gaskell with help from Sefton Councillor Michael Roche.

The varieties were selected by Richard Scott of the Eden Project and include Cornflower, sunflower, field marigold, camomile and poppies.

[10] The permanent art installation consists of figures of cast iron facing out to sea, spread over a 2 mile (3.2 km) stretch of the beach between Waterloo and Blundellsands.

The opening coincided with the outbreak of World War II forcing it to immediately close its doors under wartime restrictions until the public order was rescinded by the government.

[13][14] Originally named The Plaza, it has changed hands numerous times during its life, becoming known as The Odeon in the 1950s, The Classic in the 1970s and The Apollo in the 1990s.

After successfully raising money to secure equipment, the re-opened cinema was staffed entirely by volunteers apart from the projectionist.

[14] In May 2010, the venue hosted the celebration event for the Who I Am and Where I'm From project which showcased a collection of animations produced by the Polish Community in Sefton called Polska Tales.