Claremont Avenue was originally an extension of Telegraph Avenue, and was the original location for the telegraph lines constructed by the Alta Telegraph Company that ran from Oakland into Contra Costa County from the current intersection of Claremont and Telegraph.

The street, formerly known as Old Telegraph Road, had its name changed in 1880 at the same time the Claremont neighborhood was given its name by the county Board of Supervisors, in response to a petition by residents. ¹ A brief effort was made in the Lorin neighborhood of Newbury to rename it "Montclare"in deliberate response in 1889. ² However, today's Montclair district got its name in 1920 when the Realty Syndicate opened its lands to development. ³

Links and References

1. Claremont Oakland Tribune, January 13, 1880, p. 1
2. The Names of Oakland Suburbs Oakland Tribune, November 21, 1889, p. 4
3. Mysterious ads saying only "MONTCLAIR?" start in the Oakland Tribune, June 30, 1920, p. 12