The village of Matteson started in 1848 with the purchase of 40 acres from the government by Fredrick Illgen. The village was named after Joel A. Matteson, the 10th Governor of Illinois, who was in office at the time of the settlement. Matteson was situated at the intersection of the Illinois Central and New York Central railroads. These railroads brought thousands of people yearly from the East Coast to the Midwest, where they stopped in the Chicago Southland communities along the way. Rather than going on to Chicago, some people decided to stay in Matteson.
Matteson is a suburb in Cook county which is 26 miles south of the Chicago loop. The village sits astride Interstate 57 and Lincoln Highway and located on the Metra Commuter rail line. It has two school districts and a lot of parks.
More than 80 percent of the homes in Matteson are single-family. Many young professionals live in Matteson.
