Clifton, Colorado

Census-designated place in Mesa County, Colorado, United States

Census-designated place in Colorado, United States

39°04′35″N 108°27′38″W / 39.07639°N 108.46056°W / 39.07639; -108.46056 (Clifton CDP, Colorado)^[1]Country

United StatesState

ColoradoCountyMesa CountyGovernment

^[1]

• Typeunincorporated townArea

^[2]

• Total6.061 sq mi (15.70 km²) • Land5.988 sq mi (15.51 km²) • Water0.073 sq mi (0.19 km²)Elevation

^[1] /

4,724 ft (1,440 m)Population

(2020)^[3]

• Total20,413 • Density3,409.0/sq mi (1,316.2/km²)Time zoneUTC-7 (MST) • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)ZIP Codes^[4]

81520 (Clifton)
81504 (Grand Junction)

Area code970GNIS feature2407634^[1]

Clifton is a census-designated place (CDP) and post office in and governed by Mesa County, Colorado, United States. It is part of the Grand Junction, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area.^[5] The Clifton post office has the ZIP Code 81520.^[4] As of the 2020 census, the population of the Clifton CDP was 20,413.^[3]

History

The Clifton Post Office has been in operation since 1900.^[6] The community was named for cliffs near the town site.^[7]

Geography

Clifton is in central Mesa County, bordered to the west by the city of Grand Junction and to the northwest by unincorporated Fruitvale. The Colorado River forms the southern edge of the community. U.S. Route 6 passes through the center of Clifton, leading west 6 miles (10 km) to the center of Grand Junction and east the same distance to Palisade. Interstate 70 passes along the northern edge of Clifton, with access from Exit 37 (I-70 Business). Colorado State Highway 141 leads south from US 6, 5 miles (8 km) to U.S. Route 50. The Clifton CDP has an area of 6.1 square miles (16 km²), of which 0.07 square miles (0.18 km²), or 1.20%, are water.^[2]

Demographics

Clifton CDP, Colorado
Year	Pop.	±%
1970	5,223	—
1980	6,597	+26.3%
1990	12,671	+92.1%
2000	12,238	−3.4%
2010	19,889	+62.5%
2020	20,413	+2.6%
Source: United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau initially defined the Clifton CDP for the 1980 United States Census.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Clifton, Colorado
^ ^a ^b "2022 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Colorado". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
^ ^a ^b "P1. Race – Clifton CDP, Colorado: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Look Up a ZIP Code". United States Postal Service. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
^ "Clifton is considered a suburb of Grand Junction". Retrieved October 20, 2023.
^ "Post offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
^ Dawson, John Frank. Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin. Denver, CO: The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 14.