Heather Taylor profile picture
Heather Taylor
Ohio Local Expert

Last Modified: January 8, 2026

Clifton map

Clifton Neighborhood Overview

Gaslight Porches, Esquire Lines, UC Totes

🧭Bordered by: the I-75 hillside and Spring Grove Avenue west, Mitchell Avenue and Woolper Avenue north, Vine Street and the Cincinnati Zoo east, Martin Luther King Jr Drive, Burnet Woods and the UC campus south

📌Well known for: Gaslight District where the houses are gorgeous and probably haunted, Esquire Theatre showing indie films you'll pretend to understand, Ludlow eats, unapologetic brunch lines at Awakenings that wrap around the building on Sundays

👕You can spot a Clifton local by: Thrifted cardigan intellectuals juggling strollers, compost bins, and cappuccinos while discussing permaculture and local politics

👍Move here for: Walkable Ludlow, you can hit five coffee shops in one block, old trees, campus buzz, sane city speed compared to downtown insanity

👎Don't say we didn't warn you about: Parking like musical chairs where permit zones make no logical sense, students at 2am yelling on their way home from the bars, occasional zoo traffic when the parking lot overflows onto neighborhood streets

The general vibe is: Bookish bohemian, front porch diplomacy, and everyone either works at UC or wishes they did

Victorian porches, Bearcats, quirky coffee-fueled nights, and dive bars that haven't changed since 1987

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Moving to Clifton - Make Sense Of Your Next Move

Whether you're new to Cincinnati or deciding which part of the city fits you best, Snappy Scout cuts through the noise and shows you what living here is really like. If you're still finding your way, start with our Moving to Cincinnati guide for the big-picture view — or compare Clifton against other parts of the city in our Cincinnati neighborhood guide.