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Sleepy Hollow’s first neighborhood

It’s no coincidence that Carol Yucuis lives on Carol Crest Drive in Sleepy Hollow Manor. Developer Floyd Falese named the street after her years ago when she and her husband Charles purchased the first lot on the block in the new subdivision.

The couple had lived in Calumet City until they suffered with respiratory problems because of nearby steel mills. “My husband saw an advertisement about Sleepy Hollow and said ‘Let’s take a ride out there and see what it looks like. It sounds interesting,’ ” Carol Yucuis said.

That’s all it took for Carol to fall in love with the little village where she has lived for 46 years.

The neighborhood began when Falese purchased Sleepy Hollow Farm west of West Dundee in 1953. He farmed the land briefly, acquired more properties, and subdivided the land — without destroying a single tree — into an upscale housing development called Sleepy Hollow Manor, which was the beginning of the village of Sleepy Hollow.

Today the village features the unique characteristics that Falese valued — rural charm, meandering roads with no curbs or sidewalks that wind into private cul-de-sacs. He also carefully selected home designs that would enhance what he called “the Sleepy Hollow concept of good living.”

It’s a small little area tucked away with a country feel but close to all the amenities that come with suburbia, said Dee Toberman, broker with Prudential First Realty.

Carol says she and Charles liked everything about the subdivision starting from the first day they came out and toured the area. “Floyd and his associate spent a lot of time with us. They were wonderful and so nice to our children.

“We always loved our large two-story house with six bedrooms where we raised eight children. Now we have 27 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren. We’ve watched the area grow and have seen four generations of kids grow up on our block.

“Friends are very helpful. They’d help with the drive and cut the lawn when my husband was sick. The lady across the street has been here 43 years and our kids grew up together. We do wellness checks, so if the cars don’t move for three days, we’re checking on each other.”

Although many people don’t even know of Sleepy Hollow, those who live here like the variety of homes that sit on no less than a half acre, all with mature trees, said Toberman, who has lived in the subdivision for seven years.

“It’s a residential area with no fences, and residents can have a minimum of one animal. There are lovely parks, ponds and walking paths. In the center of the subdivision, Sabatino Park has a play area and baseball and soccer fields.

“It’s a lovely community, and I love the area. It’s so great because you’re an hour away from Chicago and an hour from Wisconsin. You can easily go to the beaches and lakes in Wisconsin or be part of the downtown Chicago scene.”

For recreation, the Dundee Township Park District maintains the Sleepy Hollow pool, community center, tennis and basketball courts. The Sleepy Hollow Service Club also organizes many community events. The town is known to have the best fireworks in the area.

A central location just blocks from the tollway and within five minutes of the Big Timber train station are also big plusses for homebuyers, along with all the development and shopping along Randall Road.

  Theses homes along Jill Peak Drive in Sleepy Hollow Manor are typical of those found in the neighborhood. Christopher Hankins/chankins@dailyherald.com
  Winmoor Drive is in Sleepy HollowÂ’s oldest neighborhood, which was once part of Sleepy Hollow Farm. Christopher Hankins/chankins@dailyherald.com

Listing sheet

Price range: $220,000 to $380,000

Age of homes: about 50 years

Schools: Sleepy Hollow Elementary, Dundee Middle and Dundee Crown High schools in Community Unit District 300

Parks: Dundee Township Park District

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