Clifton Forge, VA

Clifton Forge is an Alleghany County town on the Jackson River, in the Alleghany Highlands near Virginia's western edge. The 2020 census counted 3,555 residents. A settlement grew along the river and U.S. 60 after the road over North Mountain opened in 1826; the first passenger train arrived in 1857, and the town became a major Chesapeake & Ohio locomotive maintenance center. During the railroad's heyday, shops, a freight yard, division offices, and other rail facilities crowded beside the river. The railroad's working era faded with dieselization, yet it still gives the town its clearest present-day landmarks.

The C&O Railway Heritage Center on Main Street preserves the railroad story, and as of 2026 Amtrak serves the town three days a week. The Masonic Theatre plus the Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center add cultural venues downtown. Douthat State Park and Lake Moomaw sit in the surrounding mountain recreation orbit. Clifton Forge's local scoop is a river town whose old rail complex still ties together the streets, museum, train stop, and regional connection to the mountains.