Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow is a riverside village within the town of Mount Pleasant. It has a long and storied history, which stretches beyond the inspiration provided to Washington Irving and his well-known “Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
The village is still trying to rebound from the 1998 closure of the General Motors plant, which left a large hole in tax revenues and turned the riverfront location into an eyesore. However, officials and developers are slowing forging ahead with plans to improve the space, which will hopefully generate revenue and enhance Sleepy Hollow.

Its location adjacent to Tarrytown has led to a natural partnership between the two towns. The Sleepy Hollow-Tarrytown Chamber of Commerce is an organization which aims to support businesspeople in both communities. Sleepy Hollow has a great mix of dining establishments and shops, and its proximity to Tarrytown’s cultural offerings, such as the Paramount Center, is a plus.

Many important sites from the early days of the Hudson’s river towns still stand, making Sleepy Hollow and its surrounding towns a great place for history buffs. The Old Dutch Church, familiar to Washington Irving fans, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Philipsburg Manor, a 300-year-old estate, looks as it did in 1750, with guides dressed in period costume leading visitors back in time. The Old Dutch Church, familiar to Washington Irving fans, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Services are still held at the church during the summer months.

Students in Sleepy Hollow attend schools in the Tarrytown UFSD. Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students attend the John Paulding School; first and second graders attend W.L. Morse; third through fifth graders attend Washington Irving before moving on to Sleepy Hollow Middle School. U.S. News and World Report recently named Sleepy Hollow High School one of the top 1,000 high schools in America, citing, among other things, its 91% graduation rate and 94% college-bound rate. However, scores on English Language Arts state exams have led the middle school to be placed on the state’s schools in need of improvement for the second consecutive year.

Sleepy Hollow is served by the Philipse Manor Metro-North station; travel time averages about forty minutes. Some commuters may find the Tarrytown station more convenient. Located just south of Sleepy Hollow, it offers slightly more frequent service to and from the city.

There are waterfront luxury condominiums and large estates at the high end of the scale. In addition, there are many multi-family homes at a large range of prices, and a variety of options for single-family homes. There are many older homes, still retaining their charming details, as well as more recently built ranches and colonials.

One of the Mount Pleasant hamlets, Sleepy Hollow has an evocative name and reminds us of the Irving classic – not surprising then that the Legend of Sleepy Hollow was inspired by this place! It is also interesting that Sleepy Hollow once had a G.M. assembly plant which was closed in the 1990s. Sleepy Hollow is close to Tarrytown and stretches on either side of Route 9. There are the colonials and larger mansion style homes of Philipse Manor and Sleepy Hollow Manor and the relatively smaller homes of Briggsville. There are also multi-family buildings in the village.
Sleepy Hollow is seen as an attractive suburb by many families looking for quality living with characteristics such as good schools and good housing. It is also a big draw that Sleepy Hollow has over 57 acres of parkland. Fishing and kayaking on the Hudson are mentioned as hobbies by residents which is indicative of the outdoorsy lifestyle that is possible here!
The village has several noteworthy historic landmarks on the national register. Among them are the Tarrytown Lighthouse, the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow, the Manor House at Philipsburg Manor, Kykuit (the mansion built by John D. Rockefeller and his son, John D. Rockefeller Jr., in 1913) and the Philipse Manor train station which was actually restored in the mid-1990s. These are all buildings and estates with strong character and personality, well worth a visit.
Shopping and restaurants are easily accessible from Sleepy Hollow as Broadway has some options and also connects easily to neighboring hamlets and towns.

This charming 5.1 mile square village neighbors Tarrytown and is located on the eastern bank of the beautiful Hudson River. Sleepy Hollow is steeped in a colorful literary history as made famous by acclaimed writer, Washington Irving’s, notorious short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and the subsequent blockbuster hit starring Johnny Depp.

The Original Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is on the national historic registry and is a tourist attraction drawing visitors who want to view the burial sites of Washington Irving, Andrew Carniege, Walter P. Chrysler and Elizabeth Arden. The cemetery offers daytime tours in addition to interesting photography workshops by night. The Old Dutch Church is a must-see building, as well, and also protected by the National Historic Registry. Summer services and special occasion services are still held there to this day.

Philipsburg Manor is another fascinating family-friendly area attraction. This 300-year old seventeenth century manor offers tours by well-versed guides in period costume. At the farm, you can visit with oxen, sheep, cows and chickens, view a working gristmill, and work with wheat in the Dutch barn. In the house itself, there are many interesting artifacts for your viewing and learning pleasure. Captivating stories are told about the slave trade and subsequent resistance during colonial times.

For your shopping needs, Sleepy Hollow is but a footstep away (it was once called North Tarrytown) from Tarrytown where you can find a plethora of unique retail stomping grounds including funky consignment shops, an attic filled with eccentric and one-of-a-kind jewelry, an interesting toy store and a whimsical gift shop.

There are numerous wonderful restaurants lining the Main Street of Tarrytown including an excellent store-front Chinese eatery, a spectacular French bistro, an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, a festive Mexican joint and a beloved Greek restaurant that is almost always packed to the brim.

After a good nosh, be sure to head over to the incomparable 843-seat historic Tarrytown Music Hall which offers the finest entertainment in Westchester County for remarkably reasonable ticket prices. Acclaimed Broadway shows, family-friendly delights, outstanding classical films and a roster of world-renowned acts including Bonnie Raitt, Joan Osborne, Ani Difranco, Lea Salonga and Louie Anderson are but some of its year-round offerings. It was voted the “Best Music Venue” and “Best Kids Theatre” by readers of Westchester Magazine.

If you feel the need to escape the idyllic but sometimes quiet make-up of the area, the Philipse Manor stop of the Hudson Line will whisk you into NYC in as little as thirty-eight minutes on an express train.

Sleepy Hollow is predominantly white, with Caucasians making up approximately 68% of the population and roughly 18% from other races with Hispanics being the largest group in that percentage. Sleepy Hollow has a decent school system with a reported 96% of its high school graduates going on to college.

Sleepy Hollow is a very safe community with a low crime rate. The median gross rental rate is slightly more affordable still than in other areas of Westchester County at $ 1,300.00. The median home cost is $626,470. The median household income is $66,751. Population is approximately 10,000 with the average age being 36 years old.