Matteson is a village located in Will and Cook counties, Illinois, 26 miles south of the Loop. It sits astride the Lincoln Highway and Interstate 57 along the Metra Electric commuter rail line. It is a predominantly residential community with a population of close to 20,000 people as per the 2010 census. However, it also features several government and corporate office buildings.
Matteson’s history can be traced back to the late 1800s. The village was named after Joel Aldrich Matteson, who served as the tenth governor of Illinois between 1853 and 1857. The early settlers were of German descent. There were barely 500 residents when it was formally incorporated in 1889.
The village saw tremendous developments in the 20th century. There was improvement in plumbing and drainage, construction of the school district and electrification of the Illinois Central Railroad. These developments brought about a population boom in the region. By 1960, the population had grown to 3,225. With the baby boom underway, the population had tripled to 10,223 by 1980. https://costaivone.com/attorneys-in-matteson-illinois/
This population influx brought about great diversity. Being the home to close to 20,000 residents, the ethnic composition is made up of 80.4% African American, 14.1% whites, 3.18% Hispanic and 0.33% Asian. However, for most of its Matteson’s history, the population distribution was not always like this. Majority of residents were whites until the 2010s. The need for higher quality public schools and neighborhoods is what drove the African American influx into Matteson.
In the mid-90s the village board initiated a campaign to seek new white residents in order to promote racial diversity. This brew up some controversy with some parties arguing that this was racist, while other parties argued that the new African American settlers were more educated and wealthy.
The growth experienced in the past half century has brought about significant changes in terms of buildings and geography. One of these changes is the influx of government and public buildings and institutions.
The village houses the following government buildings and offices; Chief Administrative office, Building Services office, Community Affairs and development office, Fire Department building, and the Police Department building. Other public offices include the Economic Development office, Engineering Division, Planning Division, Public Works, Village Clerk and Recreational Division.