Clifton Gaslight Business District

Clifton, incorporated as a village in 1850, is now a neighborhood in the north central part of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The area includes the Ludlow Avenue Shopping and Dining District. Clifton is situated around Clifton Avenue, north of Dixmyth Avenue, approximately three miles north of Downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Clifton is considered to be among Cincinnati's east side neighborhoods, though it is technically located to the north of the city center. Several historic buildings and homes remain in the neighborhood. Clifton was developed in large part due to the expansion of the street car system in the 1880's-1890's.

In the nineteenth century, mansions set in extensive grounds of gardens, parkland and woodlands dominated the northern section of Clifton, farther from the city. Their gates and gatehouses were spaced at intervals along Lafayette Avenue. In the southern section, denser settlement flanked a growing business district along Ludlow Avenue, centered on its juncture with Clifton Avenue.