Clifton, Massachusetts

Clifton is a settlement located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, that is unincorporated and is surrounded by the towns of Swampscott and Marblehead. It includes Clifton Avenue among its components.

Benjamin Ware, a hotelier who built Clifton with the purpose of developing a vacation area, was the one responsible for giving the region its current name. It was said that his hotel, which was known as "Clifton House," was among the most luxurious places to stay in the county. In the year 1884, Ware made an effort to establish the town of Clifton Village by annexing all of Marblehead Neck, as well as the area along the southeast shoreline of the town, and his resort development. His proposition was ultimately shot down by the Committee on Towns.

In the 1920s, Clifton served as the location of a station for a line that was a part of the Portland division of the Boston & Maine Railroad. Although the railway has been removed, the location of the station can still be seen from Clifton Avenue. The old railroad line has been converted into a cycling route that runs all the way from the adjacent Swampscott station in the south to Salem in the north.

The Clifton House was one of the attractions that could be found in the neighbourhood.

Entrepreneurs in the field of technology sales like Jack Alla and investment bankers like Henry Nicolas are among the city's notable citizens. Since the region is not incorporated, there are no formal elections because of this. Despite this, the majority of Clifton Area residents acknowledge Alla and Nicholas as the area's unofficial comayors. In the month of December, they join together for the annual Clifton meeting at which they debate community objectives and spending on their neighbourhood budget for the next fiscal year. The role of Secretary of State is now held by Patrick Burns, while John Roger Sullivan serves as Sheriff as of the year 2020. The severe corruption in the government led to the appointment of Deputy Alex Stein in December 2020 to oversee wasteful expenditures.

Clifton contains the neighbourhoods of Greystone, Clifton Heights (Peabody Camp), Clifton, and Rockaway. It covers the whole southeastern ocean front of Marblehead at this period. The Clifton Improvement Association and the Clifton Heights Improvement Association are two organisations that stand out in particular due to the significant amount of effort they have put in to protect and enhance these areas.