Matteson is a Chicago suburb in Cook County, Illinois. In 2010, the population was 19,009, up from 12,928 in 2000. The area now known as Matteson was colonized in the late 1800s, mostly by Germans. Matteson, platted in 1855, had over 500 residents when it incorporated in 1889. Joel Aldrich Matteson, Illinois’ eleventh governor (1853-1857), named the community. The 20th century saw improvements in plumbing, railroad electrification, and school construction, resulting in a population increase to almost 3,000 by the late 1960s. By 2000, Matteson had annexed 195 acres of property and had opened Lincoln Mall in 1973. Matteson’s population was mostly white for a long time. By the 1990s, the hamlet had become majority black. The demand for better communities and public schools fueled the black inflow into Matteson, according to Carol Sonnenschein of Chicago Metropolis 2020. In 1980, 84 percent of the village’s citizens were white, while 12 percent were black. In 1990, Matteson had 11,400 residents, 5,687 of whom were white, or 53% of the village; 44% were black. In 1995, 48% of residents were black and 45% were white. 62.33% of residents were black in 2000. In 2010, 78.72% of residents were black and 16.3% were white. In 1995, Matteson officials launched a push to attract white homeowners. Others feared losing their racial diversity as their towns became predominantly black. The NAACP and numerous black Chicagoans slammed the campaign as racist. The new black residents of Matteson were deemed wealthy by some critics. In 1996, whites lived in the older part of town, while blacks lived in the newer developments in the west. Matteson has a total area of 9.354 square miles, 9.32 square miles of which is land and 0.034 square miles of water. The village is primarily flat. Matteson is bounded on all sides by Park Forest, Olympia Fields, Country Club Hills, Tinley Park, Frankfort, and Richton Park. In 2010, the village had 19,009 residents, 6,778 households, and 3,553 families. In the year 2000, the population density was 1,811.2 people per square mile, with 4,712 dwelling units per square mile. In 2010, the hamlet was 78.7% African American, 16.3% White, 0.2 Native American, 1.0 Asian, and 2.2 percent mixed race. Latinos of any race made up 4.3% of the population. In 1997, Dateline NBC featured Matteson and the topic of racial balance. According to the 2000 Census, there were 4,561 households, of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18, 55.3% were married couples, 18.1% had a female householder without a husband, and 22.1% were non-families. Individuals made up 19.2% of all households, and 7.6% of those living alone were 65 or older. The average home had 2.81 members and a family had 3.21. Villagers ranged in age from 5 to 65, with 5.9% under the age of 5 and 27.1% under the age of 18. In 2000, the median age was 37. In 2010, the town had a female population of 54%. In 2017, the village’s median household income was estimated at $85,202. In 2000, a family’s median income was $65,666. Males made $46,075 compared to $33,339 for females. Villagers made $25,024. In 2000, 2.7 percent of families and 4.4 percent of the population were poor, with 5.0 percent of those under 18 and 7.4% of those 65 and older. In 2014, 10.8% of the population lived in poverty. Lincoln Mall was located at Cicero Avenue and US Highway 30 in Matteson. Lincoln Mall, once a large regional shopping complex in the Chicago Southland, closed on January 7, 2015. The mall property was demolished in May 2017. The former mall is surrounded by hotels and low/midrise business buildings, as well as big-box retailers like Target and JCPenney. The 110-acre Matteson Auto Mall, just west of I-57 on US Highway 30, is Illinois’ largest collection of car dealerships. David Miller created the Matteson Auto Mall in 2001. Valspar has a paint factory in Matteson. Park Place Realty Group LLC, owned and run by Calvin & Ro’Shunda Russell, is also located in Matteson.
