Clifton is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area, set along the Passaic River with the cliffs of Garrett Mountain rising on its western edge. With roughly 90,000 residents, it is among the largest municipalities in Passaic County and one of the more populous in the state. The city takes its name from those Garrett Mountain cliffs, which border the Albion Place neighborhood. Clifton's roots reach back to the Lenape people and to Dutch and Swedish settlers who farmed the area along the Passaic River in the 18th century. Early settlement left a lasting mark on the city's place names: the Lakeview section recalls Wesel in Holland, and Weasel Brook, which runs through the Dutch-settled area near Weasel Brook Park, shares that heritage. The Albion Place section was earlier known as Postville or Beantown. Clifton was incorporated as a city in 1917 and marked its centennial in 2017. Today, Clifton is a dense, diverse residential city made up of more than a dozen named sections — including Allwood, Athenia, Richfield, Lakeview, Montclair Heights, and Rosemawr — each with its own character. The city's population reflects a long history of immigration, visible in the dining along Main Avenue and other commercial corridors, where Mediterranean, Turkish, Portuguese, and Latin American cuisines sit side by side. An Orthodox Jewish community in Rosemawr connects to a larger community in neighboring Passaic. Clifton functions as a commuter city, with frequent NJ Transit bus service to Midtown Manhattan and rail connections through Secaucus Junction. Families are drawn to the Clifton Public Schools, the neighborhood parks, and the outdoor recreation on the Watchung ridges. The city suits residents who want a genuine urban-suburban mix, with quick access to New York City and the broader northern New Jersey economy, without giving up neighborhood identity, diverse food, or the green space along Garrett Mountain.