Neighborhood in Cincinnati · Hamilton County

Clifton

Clifton combines older houses and apartment buildings with the Ludlow Avenue business district.

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The Esquire Theatre’s colorful facade and marquee beside neighboring Ludlow Avenue buildings, photographed September 2017. — Esquire Theatre on Ludlow Avenue in Clifton — September 2017.

Housing choices, Ludlow errands and Downtown bus journeys

About Clifton

Clifton combines older houses and apartment buildings with the Ludlow Avenue business district. Downtown bus service and the Brookline Avenue library support daily trips, while hillside streets make the approach from an individual home important.

Clifton has houses, small multi-unit buildings and larger apartments

The City’s February 2025 draft conditions analysis describes an older housing stock spanning detached houses, two-to-four-unit buildings and medium- and large-scale apartments. Its 2020-based inventory shows that a Clifton search can involve very different building settings, rather than one uniform type of home.

The same analysis identifies hillsides as a defining feature of the neighborhood. A short distance to Ludlow Avenue can include a sloping approach; walk the route back toward the home as well as toward the shops. In an apartment search, the entrance, stairs and shared space still depend on the specific building.

City of Cincinnati — Clifton draft existing conditions analysis

Ludlow groups small errands around its business district

Clifton Town Meeting’s business directory lists Clifton Natural Foods at 336 Ludlow Avenue, Ace Hardware at 344 Ludlow and CVS at 371 Ludlow. The Esquire Theatre is at 320 Ludlow. These give a home search concrete destinations for food shopping, household supplies and an evening outing.

The directory identifies businesses and addresses, not current stock or opening hours. A home close to this stretch can group several errands along Ludlow; a home farther into the residential streets adds an approach with shopping bags. Establish the grocery range you need before treating a nearby food shop as the whole weekly shop.

Clifton Town Meeting — businesses

Route 17 connects Clifton with Downtown beyond the streetcar loop

Metro lists Route 17 Hamilton Avenue as a 24-hour service between Downtown, Uptown, Clifton and Northside, continuing to northern destinations. Its current schedule is effective August 16, 2026. Overnight service does not imply the same interval between buses as during the day.

The free Connector streetcar stays within the Banks, Downtown and Over-the-Rhine loop. A Clifton-to-Downtown journey therefore starts with a bus or another connection, not a streetcar stop in Clifton. Use the workplace entrance and the return boarding point to read the appropriate Route 17 trip; the final walk continues after leaving the bus.

Brookline Avenue’s library has evening and Sunday hours

Clifton Branch Library is at 3400 Brookline Avenue, with Wi-Fi, meeting and study rooms, accessible facilities and holds lockers. Its posted regular schedule runs to 8 p.m. Monday–Wednesday, 6 p.m. Thursday–Saturday and 1–5 p.m. Sunday.

The branch can provide an evening study destination early in the week and a Sunday afternoon pickup window. A Thursday visit after 6 p.m. falls outside the regular schedule. Room reservations and holiday closures are linked from the branch page; facility information and hours were checked October 18, 2026.

CHPL — Clifton Branch

Check these on a visit

Try these in person before you commit to an address in Clifton.

Walk the approach between the home and Ludlow Avenue in both directions.
Follow the entrance to the actual apartment or house, including stairs and any shared doorway.
Test a Downtown-bound Route 17 journey and its return boarding point at your work times.

Neighborhoods and districts near Clifton

The closest neighborhoods and districts in Cincinnati, measured center to center.

2.5 miOver-the-RhineOver-the-Rhine’s older streetfront buildings sit north of Downtown around Findlay Market and Washington Park.

All Cincinnati neighborhoods and districts

Guides about Clifton

Schools near Clifton

The 6 closest schools within 5 miles, including any outside the city. Being nearby does not mean a home is zoned for a school: confirm attendance zones with the school or district.

All schools in Cincinnati

Clifton Area Neighborhood SchoolK–8
about 0.2 mi · Public · Grades Pre-K–6, 8 · 337 students
Fairview-Clifton German Language SchoolElementary
about 0.2 mi · Public · Grades K–6 · 657 students
Clifton Christian AcademyElementary
about 0.3 mi · Private · Grades K–6 · 73 students
AnnunciationElementary
about 0.4 mi · Private · Grades Pre-K–5 · 88 students
Rockdale AcademyElementary
about 1.2 mi · Public · Grades Pre-K–6 · 225 students
South Avondale SchoolElementary
about 1.2 mi · Public · Grades Pre-K–6 · 359 students

Distances are approximate. They are straight lines from the centre of Clifton, not travel distances, and a home at the edge of the area can be noticeably closer to or farther from a school.

ZIP codes in Clifton

Confirm an address with USPS

Sources & data notesReferences, reporting periods, and how to use this information

Information on this page is compiled from multiple sources and provided for general information. It may be incomplete or out of date, and we do not guarantee its accuracy, completeness, or timeliness. Independently verify important details with the original source, relevant authority, or a qualified professional before making decisions.

Statistics keep their reporting periods. Survey estimates are not current asking prices or quotes for an individual property. Displayed values are rounded.

Ludlow Avenue businesses and addresses; opening hours and stock are not established
Clifton Town Meeting — businessesSource checked 2026-10-18
3400 Brookline Avenue, facilities, regular hours and date-specific closures
CHPL — Clifton BranchSource checked 2026-10-18
Esquire Theatre location, September 10, 2017 photograph and CC0 dedication
Warren LeMay from Cincinnati, OH, United States — neighborhood photographSource checked 2026-10-18
Housing structure types and hillside terrain; printed pages 15 and 20
City of Cincinnati — Clifton draft existing conditions analysisSource checked 2026-10-18February 2025 draft analysis uses a 2020-based housing inventory. It is not a current listing or asking-price survey.
Route 17 corridor, 24-hour service and August 16, 2026 timetable
Metro — current fixed-route schedulesSource checked 2026-10-18Select a direction and trip for actual stop times; a 24-hour route does not establish a fixed frequency.
Central streetcar loop, separate from Clifton bus journeys
City of Cincinnati — Connector route and operating hoursSource checked 2026-10-18
ZIP boundaries
U.S. Census Bureau ZCTAsCensus ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate postal delivery areas and may cross city and neighborhood boundaries.

Photo credits

Image credits and license
Esquire Theatre on Ludlow Avenue in Clifton — September 2017.
Creator: Warren LeMay from Cincinnati, OH, United States
Original source
License: CC0
Changes: Resized and converted to WebP; display layouts may crop the image.
Esquire Theatre on Ludlow Avenue in Clifton — September 2017.