Downtown Clifton Edit page

Interested in learning more Clifton town events? Check out the Clifton Betterment Association (CBA). This is the local civic association dedicated to improving the Clifton area. The CBA is dedicated to providing activities to bring our community together and opportunities to share in the work of preserving the beauty and charm of Clifton. Learn about CBA hosted events (such as the 5KRace, Clifton Day, Haunted Trail, etc), and the history (with articles dating back to the 1800's) of ‘our’ small town. 

Some fun facts about Clifton: 

Long before it became the quiet town we know today, Clifton began as a lonely stop on the rails called Devereux Station. Its story truly took shape during the Civil War. In 1861, the Union Army folded the Orange and Alexandria Railroad into its military network, and this little outpost suddenly became the southern edge of Union territory. Soldiers filled the woods and fields, keeping watch for Confederate movement. Columns of troops often wound their way through the area, pausing to skirmish, to rest, or to pitch camp along the creek that cut through the valley.

When the war finally loosened its grip, a new chapter opened. Harrison Otis—later remembered as the town’s first great developer—saw potential in the battered railroad line. He set out to modernize it, and in the process purchased Devereux Station itself. From that decision, the foundations of Clifton began to rise.

• George Washington and Lord Fairfax used to ride to ride here and deemed the area as great grounds. 
• Did you know that the screen play for Sleepless in Seattle was written in a house on Main Street? 
• Clifton was the first community in Fairfax to have power (in 1925).