Mattoon ( MAT-toon) is a city in Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 16,870 as of the 2020 census. The city is house to Lake Land College and has close ties subsequently its neighbor, Charleston. Both are principal cities of the Charleston–Mattoon Micropolitan Statistical Area.

One of the main factors determining the agreement of Mattoon and Coles County in general was the topography. Coles County straddled a timberline in the southern half and prairie in the north. The forested areas were primarily fed by two major rivers: the Embarras River in the east and the Kaskaskia in the west. The prairie, known as the “Grand Prairie”, was generally damp and swampy. An in advance historian described the geography:

“Away from the timber to the north, the incline of the country is generally quite level, broken deserted by long undulations. It is in this area entirely prairie estate in this part, and was allowed to remain uncultivated until after the launch of the railroads. It was largely used for pasturage during this period, and often presented signs of great animation as the herds of cattle, under the care of their drovers, moved about greater than its grassy, slightly undulating surface.”

Groves could be found scattered throughout the area. Early settlers to the Place started homesteads in the timberline, which provided building materials and fuel. Since the enormous majority of upfront settlers came from wooded areas of Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee (by quirk of the Ohio and Wabash River valleys), the forests afterward provided a prudence of familiarity.