Clifton Without is a suburb and civil parish in the unitary authority area of the City of York, North Yorkshire, England. It consists of those parts of Clifton that lie outside, i.e. Without, the (pre-1996) city boundaries and Clifton Moor. It lies on the A19 about two miles north-west of central York. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 5,113, increasing to 5,246 at the 2011 Census. Before 1996 it formed part of the Ryedale district. The Parish is bounded by the River Ouse to the west and the B1363 road and River Foss in the east, and from the Clifton Moor retail park in the north to near Clifton Green in the south. The parish contains a diverse mix of industrial and retail areas, to residential areas in the rest of the parish. The area also includes the natural areas of Clifton Ings and Clifton Backies and Rawcliffe Lake. History On 27 May 1933 an air circus visited York and flew from Rawcliffe meadow, now the site of Clifton Moor Retail Park. It demonstrated the viability of the area for a commercial airfield for York. In 1934 York Corporation compulsory purchased parts of Clifton (Without) and Rawcilffe and on, 4 July 1936 York Municipal Aerodrome opened. Before the outbreak of the Second World War, the airfield was managed by Yorkshire Air Services and Country Club Ltd, who ran a flying club and an air taxi service, but no scheduled flights. On 1 September 1939 the airfield was requisitioned by the government for military use and was renamed RAF Clifton. It was host to a flight of Whitley Bombers. Following an upgrade in status, the airfield became host to reconnaissance aircraft such as the Westland Lysander and the North American Mustang. The airfield also contained a large civilian staffed repair facility for the Halifax bomber. The repair centre was closed in 1948, after which the airfield returned to its former role as a flying club. Due to the high rents charged by the Air Ministry, which had not de-commissioned the site, the club closed in the 1950s and fell into disuse. Parts of the airfield can still be seen around the area, including a small portion of the runway to the north of the York Outer Ring Road. The airfield is now covered by the Clifton Moor Retail Park. The village was historically part of the North