[6] The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Covington with Alleghany county for statistical purposes.

Clifton Forge, named after one of the iron furnaces, became an incorporated City in 1884.

Cutbacks and the closing of the C&O railroad shops in the late 1980s caused a drop in population for Clifton Forge.

In July 2001, Clifton Forge reverted from a city to a town due to financial hardship.

[8] Falling Spring, a 200 ft cascading waterfall into a gorge was referred to by Thomas Jefferson, for its scenic beauty in his Notes on Virginia, A plaque nearby refers to Indian War figure, Mad Ann Bailey, a frontier woman adept at shooting, riding & swearing.

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.

[11] Using the 32 degree isotherm, it's in the transition zone with "Dfa", a humid continental climate.

The population decline has mainly resulted from losses of manufacturing jobs in the area.

[20][21] One major loss of manufacturing jobs occurred after a fire at the Hercules plant in June 1980, causing $23 million in damage and worker layoffs.

Of all households 34.0% were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Its production includes bleached paper and paperboard for packaging, and is the second largest on the East Coast.

Rail passenger service is provided at the Amtrak station in Clifton Forge, VA 12 miles away.