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A clean and inviting neighborhood for people who just can't decide between the suburbs and the city, Montclare has a wealth of restaurants, shopping destinations, and beautiful homes. No need to move all the way out to the suburbs when you require more space or want to start a family, areas like Montclare are the perfect balance of urban existence and small town life. Get the house, the yard, the driveway and the dog (if you want to). The properties in Montclare have room for all. Many Chicagoans with young children are drawn to this neighborhood for the protective measures of speed bumps and traffic circles, common in several parts of the community. You may be protected, but you are certainly not secluded as the main border streets are bustling with major shopping centers and a selection of cafés and eateries.
It’s a common dilemma for young city dwellers: You want to start a family, but you don’t want to leave the city. If only there was some way to have the safety, comfort, and wonderful schools of the suburbs without losing the glamour, convenience, and excitement of urban living. The neighborhood of Montclare saves you from having to choose.
The housing here mostly consists of single-family residences. An abundance of bungalows, ranch homes, and Tudor-style houses were built here in the 1930s, and they’ve all been impeccably maintained thanks to the pride and conscientiousness of Montclare residents. Most homes have front and back yards, and in true suburban fashion it is a point of pride to one-up your neighbor’s landscaping (nothing like a little friendly competition). Of course this means that in addition to the beautiful green trees lining the sidewalks, you get to admire your community’s gardening prowess while taking an evening stroll.
Though aesthetics and upkeep are big priorities here, nothing is more important in this Chicago neighborhood than the safety and well-being of the children. The community has added several speed bumps and traffic circles to the area—a project that might be a nuisance for drivers, but makes for a safe and family-friendly place to live.
Today, Montclare is the perfect picture of a clean, middle-class suburban neighborhood, but it took more than 100 years, shifting immigrant communities, and a few transportation-related calamities to get to this point.
Although William Sayre threw down his flag to claim 90 acres in this area in 1836 'by right of possession,' he still had to fork over some dough for the land in 1838—a consequence of an inaccurate government survey—when he officially purchased it from the Jefferson Township land sales. Sayre’s marriage to Harriet Lovett the following year was the township’s first official union. With the help of his neighbors Sayre transformed the area into a thriving farming district, mostly turning over bumper crops of corn and oats, which they would then lug down Grand Avenue to sell at the Randolph Street Market in the nearby city of Chicago. The trek to and from the downtown markets was a dangerous one, as farmers worried about trains hitting their wagons or robbers stealing their day’s proceeds on the way back.
By 1872, Sayre gave into progress, allowing the Chicago & Pacific Railroad Company to build over his property. A station bearing his name was built on his farm, but only a year later, the rail line was taken over by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. As a result of this change, only one train a day ran in and out of the area, destroying any new interest for settlers and so, Sayre and his comrades just went right on farming.
In 1889, the city of Chicago voted to annex the township (by that time called Montclare after Montclaire, New Jersey.) Not much changed until 1912, when the Grand Avenue streetcar line began to run all the way into Montclare. The new, easily accessible neighborhood piqued the interest of people hoping to live further away from downtown, but a lack of utilities and paved streets tempered that enthusiasm. By 1920, improvements in the neighborhood’s infrastructure had been taken care of, and families started to move in and build homes.
From the results of the 1970 census, it was apparent that the neighborhood was a popular destination for Italian, Polish, and German immigrants—the contributions of these cultures are still very evident today. Over the next two decades, the population further diversified with an influx of Ukrainian, Greek, Lithuanian, and Lebanese settlers, along with a growing percentage of Latino immigrants. The mingling of so many distinct cultures in one neighborhood has made Montclare a very desirable place to start a family. Tolerance, community involvement and diversity are the strong pillars of this Chicago neighborhood—and the residents like it that way.
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