Clifford, Ontario is a charming unincorporated community nestled in the Town of Minto, within Wellington County. Located in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, Clifford is conveniently situated on Ontario Highway 9 and Coon Creek, a stream in the Saugeen River drainage basin.
The village of Clifford was initially established around 1855, known then as Minto Village. Following the opening of the post office in 1856, the settlement was renamed Clifford by the first postmaster, Francis Brown. The name was inspired by Clifford in West Yorkshire, England. Clifford was officially incorporated as a village in 1873. In 1999, Clifford was amalgamated with Palmerston, Harriston, and Minto Township to form the present-day Minto.
Clifford, Ontario has a rich history in the field of communication. The first telephones in the community were installed in 1890 by Bell Canada. Wightman Telecom, a company based in Clifford and owned by the Wightman family, has owned and operated a communication system in Clifford since 1908. The telephone system was originally operated out of a kitchen in Howick Township. Wightman bought out Bell's operations in Clifford, Ayton, and Neustadt in 1928. The firm continues to operate the system as of March 2016. Clifford also experienced a significant weather event on 17 March 2016 when a 200-metre (660 ft) wide EF1 tornado touched down near the community.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Clifford, Ontario had a population of 875 living in 377 of its 389 total private dwellings. This represented a change of 6.3% from its 2016 population of 823. With a land area of 2.67 km2 (1.03 sq mi), Clifford had a population density of 327.7/km2 (848.8/sq mi) in 2021.
