Hinckley is a village in Squaw Grove Township, DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2006 at the 2020 census, a slight decline from 2,070 at the 2010 census. History In the 1830s, a Mr. Hollenbeck, who lived near Ottawa, Illinois, was traveling the then-unsettled territory. He found a grove of trees west of the present-day Hinckley and named it Squaw Grove, after the Native American women who were tending camp. In the spring of 1835, John Sebree built a log house. The following year, more families came to the area and a small town was started at the west edge of what is now Hinckley, which was named Squaw Grove. Hinckley was conceived in the 1870s as the brainchild of Francis Hinckley, president of the Chicago and Iowa Railroad. The rail line was placed one-half mile east of the Village of Squaw Grove, which was then named Hinckley. The first store came to Hinckley in 1872. By 1876, Hinckley had twenty businesses. The Methodist Church began in 1835, and St. Paul's Church came in 1885. A volunteer fire brigade was organized in 1886. In 1889, a tornado destroyed most of the village. On January 7, 1927, the Harlem Globetrotters played their first road game in Hinckley. Education Hinckley is a part of the Hinckley-Big Rock Community Unit School District 429, which operates three schools: Hinckley-Big Rock Elementary School is located on the west side of Hinckley on US HWY 30. Hinckley-Big Rock Middle School is located in the center of Big Rock on US HWY 30. Hinckley-Big Rock High School is located on the east side of Hinckley on US HWY 30. Geography Hinckley is located at (41.771389, -88.640526). According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Hinckley has a total area of , of which (or 99.06%) is land and (or 0.94%) is water. Demographics As of the 2020 census there were 2,006 people, 878 households, and 556 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 830 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 89.38% White, 0.55% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 1.89% from other races, and 7.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.18% of the population. There were 878 households, out of which 58.09% had children under the age of 18 living with