In 1830, John Butler, a settler, set up an inn at Freshwater Bay (in modern-day Peppermint Grove) to attract travellers on the road from Perth to Fremantle.

The government allocated land on the foreshore and at Butler's Swamp to 19 Pensioner Guards and their families, and a permanent convict depot operated at Freshwater Bay (until 1875).

The focus of the community shifted to the area between the railway line, Fremantle Road (Stirling Highway) and Bay View Terrace.

The Freshwater Bay school ceased to play a central role; it became a boarding house nicknamed "’Appy ‘Ome" in 1892 (and in 1975 a museum).

Land speculators bought in the area and subdivided blocks at varying sizes, leading to a wide class diversity within the suburb.

[3] Claremont has grand homes in the Agett Road and Richardson Avenue areas on the south side of Stirling Highway.

[5] The suburb contains a number of heritage-listed sites, including the Claremont Post Office and the weatherboard Anzac Cottage.

For the parliament of Western Australia, Claremont is divided between the state electoral districts of Cottesloe and Nedlands, both held by the Liberal Party.