Clifton

History

The City of Clifton turned 100 years old in April 2017, but documented European settlements in the area date back to 1679, when a leader of the Lenape Native Americans gave a deed for along the shores of the Passaic River to Hans Frederick. The name "Clifton" was derived from the cliffs of Garrett Mountain, which borders the Albion Place neighborhood in the western part of the city. From 1900 to 1979, the Clifton Animal Quarantine Station inspected more than 95% of cloven-hooved animals entering the United States from abroad and was the only facility of its kind on the East Coast. Animals quarantined there included antelopes, giraffes, camels, sheep, and musk oxen. After the station closed, two of its former barns were converted into the Clifton Arts Center and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Although Clifton has long converted from farmlands to suburban neighborhoods, given its close proximity to Manhattan, the city still has three small working farms that sell fresh and organic vegetables in-season: * Ploch's Farm is a family-run farm since 1867. The farm is still in operation as Clifton's last remaining farm. Ploch's Farm is open seasonally selling fruits and vegetables during the months of August and September. * City Green Farm Eco Center is an organic farm and 501(c)3 non-profit focused on promoting urban farming and education since 2011. The property, which was the site of the Schultheis Farm, was acquired by the city in 2005 for permanent preservation as open space. * Richfield Farms is a family-run farm and garden center since 1917, which had escaped redevelopment efforts in 2018.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 11.43 square miles (29.60 km2), including 11.27 square miles (29.19 km2) of land and 0.16 square miles (0.41 km2) of water (1.37%). * Albion Place – mostly residential, and adjacent to Garret Mountain Reservation in the northwestern corner of the city; * Allwood – the other main "business district" in the city, along its main highway, State Route 3; * Athenia – one of the more centrally located neighborhoods in the city, as well as home to one of the city's two train stations, and adjacent to the 3rd Ward Park neighborhood in Passaic; * Botany Village – the northernmost neighborhood in the city, historically containing European ethnic groups, but mostly populated by Hispanic/Latino immigrants in recent years; * Delawanna – home to one of the two train stations locally, in the southeastern corner of the city, and adjacent to Nutley/the 3rd Ward Park neighborhood in Passaic; * Dutch Hill – mostly residential, and largely situated near downtown and one of the two local train stations; * Lakeview – shares its name with the adjacent neighborhood in Paterson, along the western edge of the city, and mostly populated by Arabic and Hispanic/Latino residents; * Main Mall – largely considered the main "downtown" section of the city; * Montclair Heights – one of the wealthiest neighborhoods locally, adjacent to both Montclair State University, as well as Upper Montclair, in the southwestern corner of the city; * Richfield – another of the more centrally located neighborhoods in the city, along with Athenia; * Rosemawr – largely residential and wealthier, falling partially within Allwood, and home to an Orthodox Jewish community associated with a neighboring one in the city of Passaic, with…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  136,347
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  131,123
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  109,808
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  107,292
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  106,967
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  106,374
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  97,739
• White-throated Sparrow

  Zonotrichia albicollis (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  92,636

Largest nearby schools

• Passaic County Technical Institute
  High · WAYNE · 3,359 students · 11.7:1 ratio
• Clifton High School
  High · CLIFTON · 3,059 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• Passaic High School No. 12
  High · Passaic · 2,596 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• Eastside High School
  High · PATERSON · 2,323 students · 17.5:1 ratio
• John F. Kennedy High School
  High · PATERSON · 2,053 students · 14.6:1 ratio
• Passaic Arts and Science Charter School
  Other · Passaic · 1,946 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• College Achieve Paterson Charter School
  Other · Paterson · 1,305 students · 19.2:1 ratio
• Wayne Valley High School
  High · WAYNE · 1,241 students · 10.7:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2025-08-05
  1 km N of Hillsdale, New Jersey
• M 3 — 2025-08-03
  0 km W of Little Ferry, New Jersey
• M 2.9 — 2024-05-24
  6 km E of Califon, New Jersey
• M 2.6 — 2024-05-01
  1 km NW of Gladstone, New Jersey
• M 2.9 — 2024-04-27
  7 km WSW of Gladstone, New Jersey
• M 2.6 — 2024-04-10
  5 km WSW of Gladstone, New Jersey