Scenic, busy, friendly—Clifton Forge has greeted visitors with this motto for over 60 years. It was originally named Williamson after the founding family who settled here as pioneers in the early 1800s. For a time, it was the center of the iron ore industry in Virginia. By 1857, the railroad had found its way here, and when the village became a town in 1884, it adopted the name Clifton Forge from a nearby iron furnace. It was a strategic location on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, which developed a large railroad yard and locomotive and repair shops. It was a classic railroad boomtown and was a thriving community until the shops closed in the late 1980s. Today, Clifton Forge remains a strong community of proud citizens and is undergoing renewal and revitalization that focuses on its rich natural beauty and railroad and architectural heritage.