Q – How did Montavilla get its name?

A – Two myths have been circulated regarding how Portland’s Montavilla neighborhood got its name. One is that it is a contraction of Mt. Tabor Village. The other is that it was shortened to fit on destination signs on Montavilla streetcars. Neither is true. 

Rather, Montavilla is a contraction of Mount Tabor Villa Addition, our neighborhood’s first subdivision. The lots, located between today’s SE Stark and NE Glisan Streets from 74th to 78th Avenues, went on sale in 1889. 

The first documented usage of the name Montavilla occurs in a U.S. Post Office ledger that records the appointment of James Downing (1836-1927) on September 23, 1891 as Montavilla’s first postmaster. Did Downing invent the name? Or was it someone else? Who knows? But it probably was not the trolley company since the streetcar line did not extend to Montavilla until 1892. 

The name Montavilla did not catch on immediately. Portland city directories and newspaper articles show a gradual shift from Mount Tabor Villa Addition to Montavilla. It was pretty firmly established by 1900 when the U. S. Census identified Precinct 62 as Montavilla. 

So, how did the story about Montavilla as a contraction of Mount Tabor Village begin? The earliest use of this name I’ve found dates from a 1968 business improvement group. Local business owners hoped to recreate a village atmosphere here. That group called itself the Mount Tabor Village Association. 

~ Patricia Sanders ~

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This is part of a new segment at Montavilla News called Montavilla History Questions Answered. If you have questions about Montavilla’s past that you’d like answered, local historian Patricia Sanders will investigate your question. Please email your questions to history@montavilla.net and we may feature it alongside Patricia Sanders’ research in a future post on this page.