Neighborhood profile focuses on Apple Country Estates
About 25 years ago while living in Arlington Heights, Harry Wieder and his late wife Dorothy took their kids for a country drive out to the Wauconda Apple Orchard, where they went on hayrides and bought apples.
“I said, ‘Who in the heck would want to live way out here,’ ” Harry Wieder recalls. Yet, ironically, the Wieders moved out to Apple Country Estates 15 years later, right next to land the apple orchard had occupied.
Harry Wieder often worked in the area during his 35 years at Nicor, observing construction of the subdivision from its beginning to its completion. Then his daughter’s friend recommended that the family come out and look at the new homes.
“When we saw the kitchen, the house was Dorothy’s,” Weider said. “We both liked the layout of the house, and I wanted to please her and said ‘OK, if that’s what you want.’ I gave her everything she wanted as long as we could afford it.
“We were together for 63 years. It will be hard to find anyone married that long anymore because people get married later now.”
Weider lives in a corner house across the street from a neighborhood park that residents like. And his daughter and family live just five houses away.
Named for Wauconda’s original apple orchard, Apple Country Estates is a small, charming subdivision, said Yolonda Moenning, broker associate with RE/MAX Center.
Deer Point Homes built 82 homes in the subdivision with a mix of floor plans, including a ranch design and a two-story house with a first-floor master bedroom. The two-story homes have a great first-floor flow and range from about 2,000 to 3,000 square feet, Moenning said.
“Homes are good quality and originally included many upgrades such as hardwood flooring in the kitchen and ceramic tile in the baths. So homebuyers started out with some nice amenities.”
With only one entrance and exit to the subdivision, there’s no through traffic, which makes it nice, and it’s a quiet place to live, Weider said.
“People are friendly, and once a year they have a block party,” he said.
The good Fremont schools are also a big draw to the area, Moenning said. “Kids go to all three schools together, which is a bonus of living in the neighborhood.”
Millennium Trail, which runs right through the neighborhood, also attracts people to the area for biking, jogging and even horseback riding.
Asked about the Millennium Trail, Weider said he’s not able to get out to enjoy it anymore, but people use it all day long, he said. “It’s unbelievable.”
Nearby, Lake Napa Suwa is a beautiful spot where residents can picnic overlooking the lake, and it’s a nice family walk from the neighborhood, Moenning said.
“Residents are close to downtown where there are several restaurants — some on the water, a great pizza place and a great new bakery. It has some cute new shops and a martini bar,” Moenning said.
She said the village keeps making improvements, and people come from all over to visit the downtown.
Wauconda is also home to the Wauconda Bog Nature Preserve, a national natural landmark, as well as Lakewood Forest Preserve. The 300-acre Bangs Lake is a recreational jewel that offers boating, swimming and fishing.
Wauconda has easy access to Routes 12 and 176.
Listing sheet
Price range: $255,000 to $350,000
Age of homes: 10 years
Schools: Fremont Elementary and Fremont Middle schools in Fremont Elementary District 79 and Mundelein High School in Mundelein High School District 120
Parks: Wauconda Park District