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History · Clifford

Clifford’s post office opened in 1883, and 53% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1966 on and the census since 1950.

1883first post office
0on the National Register
53%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Clifford began

When was Clifford founded?

1883

The Clifford post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 158 in 19502020 census: 30143 years
Founding year: the first Clifford post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Clifford’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Clifford are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Clifford’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Clifford’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Clifford’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Clifford, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Clifford yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Clifford is a city in Traill County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 30 at the 2020 census. Clifford was founded in 1883.

Its first post office opened in 1883. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 44 to 30 (-32%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Clifford, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Clifford2013CliffordClifford, North Dakota2006Clifford, North DakotaClifford Post Office and Hall2006Clifford Post Office and HallNDMap-doton-Clifford2004NDMap-doton-Clifford
On the map

Clifford on the map, 1966 to 1985

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Clifford. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Clifford on the 1966 USGS mapClifford on the 1985 USGS map1966Galesburg sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Clifford.

People over time

Clifford, census by census

01001960198020002020Peak: 158

Between 30 and 158 people in every census since 1950.

8 censuses, 1950–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Clifford’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Clifford

Nobody well known was born in Clifford itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Norman BrunsdaleAmerican politician · b. 1891
Thornton FreelandFilm director · b. 1898

Questions about Clifford’s history

What year was Clifford founded?

The Clifford post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (4), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.