Mattapoisett is a part of the South Coast region of Massachusetts which encompasses the cities and towns that surround Buzzards Bay (excluding the Elizabeth Islands, Bourne and Falmouth), Mount Hope Bay and the Sakonnet River.

Governor William Brenton purchased Mattapoisett in 1664 from Wampanoag chief Metacomet, also referred to as King Philip.

There is evidence of prior Wampanoag Indian settlements throughout the town, including burial grounds.

[3] Early industry included logging and farming, but Mattapoisett became best known for its role in the history of whaling.

The last one was the Wanderer, built in 1878, shortly after the discovery of oil in Pennsylvania which led to the demise of commercial whaling in the United States.

With the decline of whaling and associated shipbuilding, Mattapoisett transitioned into a popular summer vacation spot for prominent New York and Boston residents, including Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Today, the town is largely a suburban community, with most residents commuting to jobs in Fall River, New Bedford, Worcester, Providence, or Boston, or operating businesses targeting summer tourism.

Mattapoisett is home to Haskell Swamp in the Tinkham Hill area in the northern part of town.

The center of the town around the harbor is known as The Village, and a rural area north of rte 195, along Acushnet Road, Tinkham Lane and Long Plain Rd, is known as Tinkhamtown.

There is also a state-managed wildlife area, Nasketucket Bay State Reservation, commonly known as Nunes Farm, along the waterfront near the Fairhaven line.

There are four beaches and two parks along the waterfront, as well as Ned Point Light, which was built in 1837 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

It is bordered by Fairhaven to the southwest, Acushnet to the northwest, Rochester to the north, and Marion to the east.

[21][22] Mattapoisett uses the open town meeting form of government, led by a board of selectmen.

The town's Thanksgiving Day football rival is Apponequet Regional High School in Lakeville.