Editing Clifton, New Jersey (section)

==History==
The city of Clifton turned 100 years old in April 2017, but documented European settlements in the area date back to 1679, when a leader of the [[Lenape]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] gave a deed for {{convert|11000|acres}} along the shores of the Passaic River to Hans Frederick.<ref name=Record2017>Gicas, Tony. [https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/passaic/clifton/2017/04/26/clifton-celebrates-100-years-history-change/100920578/ "Clifton celebrates 100 years of history, change"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017231527/https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/passaic/clifton/2017/04/26/clifton-celebrates-100-years-history-change/100920578/ |date=October 17, 2020 }}, ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', April 26, 2017. Accessed December 27, 2022. "City historical documents show that a community has lived on land comprising present-day Clifton since 1679 when an Indian sachem named Captahem gifted Hans Frederick a deed for 11,000 acres on the shores of the Passaic River. Inspired by the Native American word Haquequenunk, the area was known as Acquackanonk Township from 1693 until 1917. During its early days, portions of what is now Paterson, Woodland Park, Little Falls and the entirety of Passaic fell within Acquackanonk borders."</ref> The modern name of "Clifton" was derived from the cliffs of Garrett Mountain, which borders the Albion Place neighborhood in the western part of the city.<ref name=Record2017 /> Clifton was once an agricultural hub, and home to the [[U.S. Animal Quarantine Station]], which was operated in Clifton by the [[United States Department of Agriculture]], starting in 1903. It was served by the Newark Branch of the Erie–Lackawanna Railroad. It was the primary location on the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] where animals from poultry, horses, and cattle, to zoo animals, were held in [[quarantine]] after being brought into the United States, to ensure that the animals were not infected with diseases that could be spread in the U.S. The federal station operated in Clifton until the late 1970s, when the facility was relocated to [[Stewart International Airport]].<ref>[[Frank J. Prial|Prial, Frank J.]] [https://www.nytimes.com/1975/08/09/archives/us-animal-center-to-move-from-clifton.html "U. S. Animal Center to Move From Clifton"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924055525/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/08/09/archives/us-animal-center-to-move-from-clifton.html |date=September 24, 2021 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', August 9, 1975. Accessed September 16, 2019. "The United States Department of Agriculture's quarantine station for imported animals, in Clifton; N.J., since 1903, will be relocated at Stewart Airport, near Newburgh. ... The center, scheduled to be completed in 1978, will occupy a 74‐acre site, and will be equipped to handle 1,800 head of cattle, 800 horses, 300 lions and tigers and other zoo animals, and 4,000 chickens and other poultry."</ref>

Although Clifton has long converted from farmlands to suburban neighborhoods, given its close proximity to Manhattan, the city still has three small working farms that sell fresh and organic vegetables in-season:

* Ploch's Farm is a family-run {{convert|15|acres|adj=on}} farm since 1867. The farm is still in operation as Clifton's last remaining farm. Ploch's Farm is open seasonally selling fruits and vegetables during the months of August and September.<ref>Fagan, Matt. [https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/passaic/clifton/2020/11/18/clifton-nj-former-plochs-garden-center-becoming-storage-center/5870697002/ "What's going there? In Clifton, former Ploch's Garden Center is becoming a storage center"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324215751/https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/passaic/clifton/2020/11/18/clifton-nj-former-plochs-garden-center-becoming-storage-center/5870697002/ |date=March 24, 2023 }}, ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', November 22, 2020. Accessed May 24, 2023. "The former Ploch's Garden Center, which for decades sold items such as garden soil and fresh eggs, is growing girder by girder into a multistory storage facility. ... The plan to replace the garden center with a 5,496-square-foot mini-mart and eight-pump gas station was denied because city zoning doesn't allow more than one use on any property. In the summer of 2018, the city's zoning board approved the new plan for the self-storage facility."</ref>
* City Green Farm Eco Center is an organic farm and 501(c)3 non-profit focused on promoting urban farming and education since 2011. The {{convert|5|acres|adj=on}} property, which was the site of the Schultheis Farm, was acquired by the city in 2005 for permanent preservation as open space.<ref>[https://www.citygreenonline.org/the-farm-eco-center-clifton The Farm Eco-Center Clifton, NJ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524163137/https://www.citygreenonline.org/the-farm-eco-center-clifton |date=May 24, 2023 }}, City Green. Accessed May 4, 2023. "The City Green Farm Eco-Center is a five-acre site located on Grove Street in Clifton, New Jersey. In 2005, with the additional support of Passaic County Open Space funding and New Jersey Green Acres funding, the city of Clifton permanently preserved this land, formerly known as Schultheis Farm, to remain as green, open space forever. City Green leased the property in 2011 and has since transformed it into a hub of agricultural and environmental education and recreation."</ref>
* Richfield Farms is a family-run {{convert|5|acres|adj=on}} farm and garden center since 1917, which had escaped redevelopment efforts in 2018.<ref>Fagan, Matt. [https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/passaic/clifton/2018/06/11/richfield-farm-plan-build-townhomes-clifton-nj-withdrawn/670499002/ "Clifton's Richfield Farms developer withdraws plan"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231001135643/https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/passaic/clifton/2018/06/11/richfield-farm-plan-build-townhomes-clifton-nj-withdrawn/670499002/ |date=October 1, 2023 }}, ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', June 11, 2018. Accessed May 24, 2023. "Fans and neighbors of Richfield Farms can breathe a sigh of relief, as the beloved 100-plus-year-old farm stand and garden center appears to be keeping its farm intact, at least for now. ... Richfield Mews, the developer that applied to subdivide roughly half the 4.75-acre Richfield Farms site for town homes, has pulled the application before the city zoning board. ... The family's local history began in 1917, when Leenhardt Van Breeman emigrated from Holland. He opened a farm stand and sold produce, and for decades family members grew lettuce, corn and tomatoes to sell in Newark and New York's Hunts Point Market."</ref>