Neighborhood profile: Lakeview Woodlands
An open, arboreous ambience, picturesque ponds and an abundance of wildlife attracted Susan and George Nowak to Lakeview Woodlands almost 20 years ago.
"This is like our own little sanctuary, wooded and quiet, yet only a 10-minute drive to town," George Nowak said.
The neighborhood is beautiful in the fall and winter, and it comes alive in the spring with the singing of frogs and toads that breed in the ponds, Nowak said.
"It's really nice. We like being so close to nature. In our yard, we've had a deer and two fawns, and we've had 10 pheasants at one time," he said.
"The exterior of our home looks like an old traditional Southern home you would see in Kentucky with large front and back porches and beautiful hardscape through the front yard to the porch. Yet the interior is modernized with a 16-foot ceiling in the great room, a big fireplace, vaulted ceiling in the foyer and 9-foot ceilings in the rest of the house. It's a very nice open concept and a nice mix of the two styles."
The couple lives across from the Crown family farm, which is the last dairy farm in Lake County and the site of the Wauconda rodeo. "It's nice that they're here and not intending to sell their land," Nowak said. "A lot of developers would love to buy that property and put in a subdivision."
Lakeview Woodlands sits west of Darrell Road and north of Route 176 in unincorporated Wauconda and borders Island Lake on the east.
Homebuilding in the subdivision started in the 1960s and continued through the 1990s, said Yolonda Moenning, broker associate with RE/MAX Center in Grayslake. "It's unusual to see a neighborhood built over such a long period of time."
The subdivision features a variety of custom homes - sprawling ranches, English Tudors, contemporaries, two-story, split- and multi-level homes - with 2,000 to 3,500 square feet, three to four bedrooms and 2½ to 3½ baths. Most homes sit on a one- to two-acre homesite. No two houses are the same as each was built by the owner's builder of choice.
"Only a couple homes go up for sale each year, which means there is little turnover, and people want to stay in the subdivision," Moenning said. "Some homes are on a private lake, which is a very nice feature. Also, there's no association, so residents don't have the rules that you have with that."
Neighbors are very friendly, she said. A lot of people get out and walk for exercise and when they run into their neighbors, they stop and visit.
"Another big draw is that kids go to excellent schools. Matthews Middle School is newer, and residents really love the school," Moenning said.
The location is good with easy access to Route 120 and Rand Road, and 10 minutes to Wauconda's historical business district. There is plenty of shopping, restaurants and entertainment along Rand Road, and for major shopping, residents can head to Deer Park or the Hawthorn malls in Vernon Hills.
For recreation, the 300-acre Bangs Lake is a natural glacial lake and a popular destination for family recreation.
The Wauconda Bog Nature Preserve is a natural landmark owned by the Lake County Forest Preserve District. It is a mature bog that contains no open water, but serves as a refuge for more than 100 different plants. There is no developed access to the preserve.
Listing sheet
<span class="fact box text bold">Price range:</span><span class="fact box text bold"> </span>$250,000 to $500,000
<span class="fact box text bold">Age of homes:</span><span class="fact box text bold"> </span>20 to 55 years
<span class="fact box text bold">Schools:</span><span class="fact box text bold"> </span>Cotton Creek Elementary, Matthews Middle and Wauconda High schools in Wauconda Unit District 118
<span class="fact box text bold">Park district: </span>None (unincorporated Wauconda)