Clifton, Virginia
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| Clifton, Virginia | |
  Clifton, Virginia
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| County | Fairfax |
| Area | |
| - Total | 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km²) |
| - Land | 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²) |
| Elevation | 197 ft (60 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 185 |
| - Density | 723.7/sq mi (279.4/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 20124 |
| Area code(s) | 703 |
| FIPS code | 51-17376[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1495399[2] |
Clifton is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 185 in the 2000 census, though in 2003 a new community Clifton Heights was made in Clifton, increasing its population to about 210. The town is around 300 feet above sea level. About 6,000 people live outside of the town.
Clifton is 25.74 miles away from Washington, D.C.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Civil War in Clifton
The town of Clifton, which was formally known as Devereux Station, was founded in 1863 along the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, as an outcome of the American Civil War.
With Devereux Station being the most southern point of the Union Army and in between the means of transportation, the station played a key role in the Civil War. It was a major depot of supplies where trains were loaded with wood that was transported to the U.S. Military Railroad to use for burning in train engines.[3] Soldiers frequently marched through the town, fought small battles, and set up camps beside Popes Head Creek.[4] Union troops were housed in the town so that they could constantly be on the look out for the Confederates, who wanted to destroy the railroad. The majority of the action that took place along the O & A railroad during the war occurred around the area of Clifton.[5]
[edit] Construction of the Station
After the Confederates, who were under the command of Colonel Robert E. Lee, defeated the Union Army at the Second Battle of Bull Run, which was just a short distance from Clifton, the rail lines were in need of reconstruction. Herman Haupt a brigadier general and civil engineer from Pennsylvania stepped in to help reconstruct and operate the railroads that served the Union Army in Northern Virginia. He commissioned John Devereux, a Union railroad superintended from Alexandria after whom the town was originally named, to build the wye or railroad siding at Devereux Station along the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. The O & A was a Virginia intrastate railroad that ran south-west through Clifton and had a significant role in the Civil war. It was incorporated into the Union’s U.S. Military Railroad system and was used to more efficiently transport soldiers and import supplies among the troops.[6]
[edit] After the War
After the Civil War ended, Devereux Station kept growing. In 1868, a commuter station was built and the name changed to Clifton Station when Harrison G. Otis, accredited as the original founder of Clifton, bought the land.[7] The next year Clifton became an official U.S. post office and Otis built the historic Clifton Hotel, which became a popular resort. The town continued to prosper there after, especially due to its fertile soil, widespread vineyards, and its accessible train station.[8] The station no longer exists today, but the historic town of Clifton is still standing along what used to be the O & A Railroad and is now a part of the Norfolk Southern Railway.
[edit] 1600s and 1700s
Clifton, Virginia was mainly known as a plantation through out the 1700s. Before then, Native Americans used the current town area as hunting grounds.
[edit] 1800s
December 11, 1877 The Grand Lodge of Virginia A.F. & A.M. issued a charter to Acacia Lodge No. 16 which allowed freemasons to start holding monthly stated communications in what was then known as Clifton Station Virginia
[edit] 1900s
The General Assembly established a charter on March 9, 1902. During the 1900s, the town was practically at its modern-day size. The first schoolhouse in Clifton was built on a 100-foot hill overlooking the heart of the town. On March 9, 1930, the Clifton General Store caught fire, and a few months later a new general store was built in its place. In the 1940s, two homes were built. In the 1960s, the town started its own holiday of Clifton Day. This celebration continues each year as a town fair with sales each October. In the 1980s and 1990s, the areas around the Town of Clifton grew quickly, with many affluent families moving into the area. To complete the main town, the Clifton Creek House (also known as the RussekRobbins House) was renovated in 1991, as well as the Titanic House at 7161 Main Street whose second owner went down on the Titanic on his 44th birthday, April 15, 1912. In the late 1960s and early 1970s many of the properties in the town were renovated as younger couples moved into town drawn by the timeless appeal of Clifton. The 1980s and 1990s were a time of mass smiling, well dressed neighbors.
[edit] 2000s
There are still many families moving into the area. There have been more and more disputes with contractors and developers over land. (The area of surrounding the Town of Clifton requires all houses in the area to have at least 5 acres of land each, which prevents nearly all development other than luxury single-family homes. This is because of the formation of the Occoquan Watershed in the 1970s that limits development due to ecological concerns.) In 2002, a new community was built on the edge of town called Frog Hill. In 2006, there was major controversy about demolishing the abandoned Hetzel Home on the corner of Chapel Road and Pendelton Avenue. The building was being rebuilt and a replica home was finished in the Winter of 2007.
The Clifton Homes Tour is run by the Clifton Community Woman's Club and is always held on the third Thursday in May, not August. The Club of approximately 100 members raises money for local charities by hosting a homes tour, silent auction, boutique, and local women's art show and sale.
[edit] Geography
Clifton is located at (38.780047, -77.386408).[9]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.7 km²), all of it land. In reality, however, the town of Clifton is by definition one square mile. Popes Head Creek runs through the Town.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 185 people, 67 households, and 52 families residing in the town. The population density was 723.7 people per square mile (274.7/km²). There were 70 housing units at an average density of 273.8/sq mi (104.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.92% White, 0.54% Asian, 0.54% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.54% of the population.
There were 67 households out of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.7% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.9% were non-families. 13.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the town, the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 32.4% from 45 to 64, and 4.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 134.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 125.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $111,048, and the median income for a family was $117,446. Males had a median income of $62,188 versus $47,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $47,459. None of the population or families were below the poverty line.
[edit] Communities In Clifton
- Main article : Communities in Clifton, Virginia
[edit] Climate
Clifton has a warm-temperate climate with cool winters, mild falls and springs, and hot summers. July is usually the warmest, and wettest month. January is usually the coldest month. On average, February is the driest month. The warmest temperature set in Clifton was 104°F on July 2, 1980. The coldest temperature was -8°F set on January 8, 1982.
[edit] 2005
During the year 2005, the warmest temperature was set on July 1, 2005 with a temperature of 101°F. The coldest temperature was 9°F set on December 13, 2005. Both were less than 10 degrees of breaking a record.
[edit] 2006
The year 2006 had unusually mild weather for January with the average height that month about 20 degrees above normal. However in September and October, it was unusually cold for this time of year with temperatures running 10-25 degrees below average. The highest recorded temperature this year was 96°F on August 2, 2006. The lowestlowest recorded temperature was 8°F which was recorded on February 21, 2006.
June 2006, Clifton’s Popes Head Creek overflowed its banks after four days of heavy rains and submerged Acacia Lodge No. 16 located at 7135 Main St. under 17 inches of rushing creek water. Acacia Lodge was severely damaged and is a late 1800's historical landmark.
[edit] 2007
Currently according to Farmer's Almanac, because of El Niño events, it is expected for the early months of 2007 to be above average, but the spring to be cool and wet. The summer to be below average and wet, and fall to be almost normal, although these predictions are not 100% accurate.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average daily maximum temperature (nearest °F) | 43 | 46 | 58 | 68 | 77 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 81 | 70 | 59 | 47 | 67 | |
| Mean daily minimum temperature (nearest °F) | 22 | 25 | 33 | 41 | 51 | 60 | 65 | 63 | 56 | 44 | 36 | 21 | 45 | |
| Mean total rainfall (in.) | 2.59 | 2.46 | 2.77 | 2.92 | 3.71 | 3.23 | 3.11 | 3.16 | 3.33 | 3.08 | 3.12 | 2.72 | 36.20 | |
| Source: The Weather Channel | ||||||||||||||
[edit] Education
Fairfax County Public Schools serves Clifton.
Elementary school residents are zoned to Clifton Elementary School[10], while middle and high school residents are zoned to Robinson Secondary School[11].
[edit] Former Schools
- Clifton High School: existed from 1912 and was torn down in 1944, after the construction of Fairfax High School.
[edit] Points of interest
[edit] Parks
- Bull Run Marina Regional Park
- Chapel Road Park
- Clifton Town Park
- Fountainhead Regional Park
- Hemlock Overlook Regional Park
- Kincheloe Park
[edit] Golf Courses
- Twin Lakes GC
- Virginia Gold Center & Academy
- Westfields GC at Balmoral
[edit] Shopping Centers
- The Colonnade at Union Mill
[edit] Annual Events
[edit] January
- New Year's Day Celebration
[edit] February
- Lion's Club Pancake Breakfast
[edit] March
[edit] April
- Kids Day
[edit] May
[edit] June
- Clifton Caboose Twilight Run
[edit] July
- Fourth of July Celebration
[edit] August
- Clifton Homes Tour/petersons
[edit] September
- Labor Day Car Show
[edit] October
- Clifton Day
- Post Clifton Day Cleanup
[edit] November
- Townwide Cleanup
[edit] December
- Clifton Candlelight Homes Tour
- Clifton Christmas Tree
[edit] References
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Netherton, Nan and Wyckoff, Whitney Von Lake. Fairfax Station: All Aboard! 1995
- ^ A Brief History of Clifton, VA
- ^ Netherton, Nan. Clifton: Brigadoon in Virginia. 1980
- ^ Netherton, Nan. Clifton: Brigadoon in Virginia. 1980
- ^ Netherton, Nan. Clifton: Brigadoon in Virginia. 1980
- ^ Historic Clifton Hotel
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ http://www.fcps.edu/images/boundarymaps/cliftones.pdf
- ^ http://www.fcps.edu/images/boundarymaps/robinsonss.pdf
[edit] Bibliography
Netherton, Nan. Clifton: Brigadoon in Virginia. Clifton Betterment Association, 1980.
Netherton, Nan and Wyckoff, Whitney Von Lake. Fairfax Station: All Aboard! Fairfax Station, 1995.
[edit] External links
- Town of Clifton
- Little Rocky Run
- Union Mill ES
- Clifton ES
- Liberty MS
- Centreville HS
- Little Rocky Run Homes, Clifton, Virginia
- Clifton, Virginia is at coordinates Coordinates:
