The village is home to multiple warehouse facilities, a large commercial corridor, and housed the now-demolished Lincoln Mall.

The area encompassed by modern Matteson was settled in the late 1800s, primarily by people of German descent.

The village's namesake is Joel Aldrich Matteson, who served as Illinois' tenth governor from 1853 to 1857.

[6] The 20th century saw improvements in plumbing, the electrification of the Illinois Central Railroad, and the construction of today's school district, resulting in significant population growth to more than 3,000 residents by the end of the 1960s.

By 2000, Matteson was home to Lincoln Mall (opened 1973) and annexed 195 acres of land for the village.

Today, Matteson is home to nearly 20,000 residents, hundreds of businesses, and the close proximity of two major hospitals.

The village simultaneously recorded increases in the average household incomes in several census tracts.

Matteson was home to Lincoln Mall, which was located at Cicero Avenue and US Highway 30.

Once one of the Chicago Southland's major regional shopping centers, Lincoln Mall experienced a protracted decline beginning in the 1990s and closed on January 7, 2015.

Pace provides bus service on Route 357 connecting Matteson to destinations across the Southland.

[20] Residents of the village may also attend Southland College Preparatory Charter High School.