More historic than 2% of U.S. towns · #762 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Most of Sleepy Hollow was built recently: 0.7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: maps from 1925 on and the census since 1960.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sleepy Hollow is more historic than 2% of U.S. towns, #762 of 768 in Illinois. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sleepy Hollow’s overall grade.
Few Illinois towns list much on the Register (a typical Illinois town has 0.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Sleepy Hollow’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1958.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Sleepy Hollow’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sleepy Hollow. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1925Elgin sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Sleepy Hollow.
The village is on the site of Sleepy Hollow Farm, which was owned by the late J. H. McNabb, board chairman of Bell and Howell Company. McNabb's heirs sold the farm to Mr. and Mrs. Jack Polivka, who sold it in turn to Floyd T. Falese in 1953. Falese retained the services of a prominent planner and landscape architect, Raymond W. Hazekamp, who laid out a pattern of meandering roads, without curbs or sidewalks, that wound into curvilinear cul-de-sacs, avoiding the destruction of a single tree. This design retained the rural charm and natural contours of the farm and avoided taking down any existing trees.
In 1958, according to Wikidata. the census of 1960 counted 311 people here.
How does Sleepy Hollow rank for history?
Sleepy Hollow is more historic than 2% of U.S. towns, #762 of 768 in Illinois. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Sleepy Hollow?
0.7% of Sleepy Hollow’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1979.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
