The Montclair area began its history as a camp for a band of Native Americans known as the Serrano Indians. After Spaniards settled California in the 1700s, the territory served as a watering stop for travelers along the Juan Bautista de Anza Trail. In 1897, the Township of Marquette was established—though renamed Monte Vista in the early 1900s—and the area then developed as a farming community for the citrus industry. After World War I, a housing and population boom transformed the town into a bedroom community, which incorporated in 1956 as the City of Monte Vista. In 1958, the community changed its name to Montclair after the U.S. Postal Service imposed mail delivery restrictions because of a conflict with another town in Northern California. Today Montclair serves its residents and the region as a transportation hub, as a leader in commercial and retail development, and by its proximity to several colleges and universities.
