Wheeling is a village in Cook and Lake counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it is primarily in Cook County, approximately northwest of downtown Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 39,137. Wheeling is named for Wheeling, West Virginia. History The land that is now Wheeling, Illinois, was controlled by the Miami Confederacy which contained the Illini and Kickapoo tribes) starting in the early 1680s. The Confederacy was driven from the area by the Iroquois and Fox in the early 1700s. The French-allied Potawatomi began to raid and take possession of Northern Illinois in the 1700s. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, the Potawatomi expanded southwards from their territory in Green Bay and westward from their holdings in Detroit, until they controlled in an L-shaped swath of territory from Green Bay to the Illinois River, and from the Mississippi River to the Maumee River. The descendants of the Potawatomi who once inhabited the land that is now Wheeling currently live on a reservation in Mayette, Kansas. The first cabin in Wheeling Township was built by a Mr. Sweet in 1833. He sold it to George Strong for $60, making Mr. Strong the first permanent resident in Wheeling Township. In 1834, Joseph Filkins opened the first tavern-hotel in the township at the intersection of Dundee Road and Milwaukee Avenue. By 1835, there were 18 cabins in the township, and a post office was established in Filkins’ Tavern. In 1837, Russell Wheeler and Charles Daniels opened a general store and trading post next to Filkins’ Tavern. The settlers who migrated to that area formed the Village of East Wheeling, which later became known as simply Wheeling. Geography According to the 2010 census, the village has a total area of , of which (or 97.26%) is land and (or 2.74%) is water. Climate The climate in Wheeling can be classified as temperate. Winters are usually very cold and snowy. Summers are often hot and humid, but can be pleasantly warm as well. Precipitation is uniformly distributed throughout the year. Demographics As of the 2020 census there were 39,137 people, 15,148 households, and 9,673 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 16,190 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 50.33% White, 2.36% African American, 1.42% Native American, 16.73% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 17.32% from