As an early lumbering town in the heart of Michigan, Clare was first founded on December 30, 1870.  Following the incorporation of Clare as a village in 1879 the first village elections were held at the Town Hall located on the corner of McEwan and Sixth Streets.  The village was then incorporated in 1891 as a Home Rule city.

While many lumbering towns dried up and faded away once the timber had been stripped from the land, Clare remained a viable and vibrant community in part due to its centralized location and access to the railroad but also due to its most valuable resource-its citizens, who have kept the city alive with their business acumen, civic pride, and enduring community support.

The City’s objective is to ensure exemplary stewardship of city resources; promote the health, welfare, and safety of the public sector; and provide a full range of municipal services including water treatment and distribution services, wastewater collection and treatment, road improvement, infrastructure maintenance, parks, recreation, building inspection, police and fire protection & emergency services.

While the City of Clare is indeed a small community encompassing less than 3 square miles and only 3,254 residents, the city’s population more than doubles during the average workday and triples during some holidays and events due to emerging economic development as a result of our business-friendly environment.