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Township in Bergen County, New Jersey, US

River Vale is a township in Bergen County, in the U. S. state of New Jersey. River Vale is the easternmost municipality in an area of the county referred to as the Pascack Valley. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 9,909, The township was ranked #29 on the 100 Best Places to Live 2007 survey published by CNN/Money magazine. River Vale was formed as a township on April 30, 1906, from portions of both Hillsdale Township (now Hillsdale Borough) and Washington Township. The township was named for its location along the Hackensack River. On January 5, 1904, the temperature in River Vale fell to , the lowest temperature ever recorded in New Jersey.

The earliest settlers of what would become River Vale were the Lenape Native Americans. Before 1841, the area comprising River Vale was part of Harrington Township. It used to be known as the "Over Kill Neighborhood" or just "Over Kill"—it being over the kill (Hackensack River) from Tappan. Its southern part, known as Eastwood (named in contrast to Westwood), became an independent borough in 1894, but was dissolved and re absorbed into Washington Township in 1896. On July 28, 1994, the residents of River Vale voted to recall Mayor Walter Jones, Councilwoman Patricia Geier and Councilman Bernard Salmon, following a battle between residents and the mayor and some council members over the mayor's plan to merge River Vale's 9 1 1 center to a regional dispatch center located in Park Ridge. A River Vale resident, Henry Hoffman, directed the scrapping of Enterprise in Kearny from 1958 to 1960. Following Hoffman's death in 1965, the stern plate of the Enterprise was placed on a Little League baseball field as a memorial. The field was later named Hoffman Field. On October 2, 2000, the stern plate was moved to the township's Veterans' Memorial Park. In March 2004, the township became the first municipality in the state to be placed on probation by the Municipal Excess Liability Joint Insurance Fund, a fund that covers legal expenses of member municipalities and government agencies. The issue was due to the number and scope of legal cases against the township, its employees and its governance, plus what David Grub, chief executive of the fund, called "a general environment of personal attack". The fund urged the township to update employment practices and better train managers to avoid liabilities. As a result of these issues, The New York Times called the township "small but litigious".

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 4.31 square miles (11.17 km2), including 4.07 square miles (10.54 km2) of land and 0.24 square miles (0.63 km2) of water (5.64%). Its borders are defined by the Hackensack River to the east, which was dammed to form Lake Tappan, and Pascack Brook to the south. The northern border is defined by the New York New Jersey state border. The western border has several sections, including a section defined by an unnamed creek and a section defined by Cedar Lane. The southern portion of the township lies between the Hackensack River and Pascack Brook, and is relatively flat. The northern portion slopes down from rolling hills in the west into Lake Tappan to the east. Much of the land is developed as suburban single family residences, but there remain some undeveloped areas. The undeveloped areas are mostly wooded and are south and west of Lake Tappan, following the Cherry Brook and the Hackensack River watershed. In 1996, plans to develop watershed land received resistance from the community. In the southwest of the township, the Pascack Brook County Park also preserves a wooded area. There are three golf courses in the township, two 18 hole public courses, and a private 18 hole course. There is a small commercial district surrounding the intersection of Rivervale Road and Westwood Avenue in the southern portion of the township.

+River Vale township, Bergen County, New Jersey – Racial and Ethnic Composition (NH = Non Hispanic)Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race. Race / EthnicityPop 2010Pop 2020% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)9,1787,75686.17%78.27%Black or African American alone (NH)641170.60%1.18%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)280.02%0.08%Asian alone (NH)8099937.60%10.02%Pacific Islander alone (NH)010.00%0.01%Some Other Race alone (NH)10300.09%0.30%Mixed Race/Multi Racial (NH)1072731.00%2.76%Hispanic or Latino (any race)4817314.52%7.38%Total9,6599,909100.00%100.00%

The 2010 United States census counted people, households, and families in the township. The population density was There were housing units at an average density of The racial makeup was % White, % Black or African American, % Native American, % Asian, % Pacific Islander, % from other races, and % from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were % of the population. Same sex couples headed 23 households in 2010, an increase from the 9 counted in 2000.

River Vale is located in the 5th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 39th state legislative district.

As of March 2011, there were a total of 6,881 registered voters in River Vale Township, of which 1,607 (23.4% vs. 31.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,889 (27.5% vs. 21.1%) were registered as Republicans and 3,381 (49.1% vs. 47.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 4 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens. Among the township's 2010 Census population, 71.2% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 97.1% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide). In the 2016 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump received 2,904 votes (50.2% vs. 41.6% countywide), ahead of Democrat Hillary Clinton with 2,609 votes (45.1% vs. 54.8%) and other candidates with 202 votes (3.5% vs. 3.0%), among the 5,781 ballots cast by the township's 7,704 registered voters, for a turnout of 75.0% (vs. 72.5% in Bergen County). In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 2,962 votes (55.6% vs. 43.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 2,303 votes (43.2% vs. 54.8%) and other candidates with 33 votes (0.6% vs. 0.9%), among the 5,330 ballots cast by the township's 7,189 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.1% (vs. 70.4% in Bergen County). In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 2,963 votes (53.2% vs. 44.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 2,529 votes (45.4% vs. 53.9%) and other candidates with 33 votes (0.6% vs. 0.8%), among the 5,573 ballots cast by the township's 7,088 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.6% (vs. 76.8% in Bergen County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 2,946 votes (54.4% vs. 47.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 2,424 votes (44.8% vs. 51.7%) and other candidates with 29 votes (0.5% vs. 0.7%), among the 5,414 ballots cast by the township's 6,646 registered voters, for a turnout of 81.5% (vs. 76.9% in the whole county). In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 68.3% of the vote (2,067 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 30.5% (922 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (38 votes), among the 3,083 ballots cast by the township's 7,027 registered voters (56 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 43.9%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 2,017 votes (56.0% vs. 45.8% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 1,369 votes (38.0% vs. 48.0%), Independent Chris Daggett with 174 votes (4.8% vs. 4.7%) and other candidates with 12 votes (0.3% vs. 0.5%), among the 3,604 ballots cast by the township's 7,009 registered voters, yielding a 51.4% turnout (vs. 50.0% in the county).

The River Vale Police Department is a full time department that has provided police services to the township since 1930. As of 2015, there were a total of 21 members of the department: one Chief, two Lieutenants, five Sergeants, 11 Officers, and one Dispatcher. The force is responsible for all aspects of policing in the township, including responding to fire and medical emergency calls. Each patrol car is equipped with a first aid kit, oxygen tank, and an Automated external defibrillator. Dispatch for all River Vale emergency services (police, fire, ambulance) is contracted to Ridgewood, New Jersey based Northwest Central Bergen Dispatch (NWBCD). Officers of the River Vale Police Department are members of Pascack Valley Local 206 of the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association.

The River Vale Volunteer Fire Department (RVFD) is an all volunteer fire department. Started in 1923, the department consists of one Chief, one Assistant/Deputy Chief, two Captains, and five Lieutenants (one for each apparatus). In addition, there is also a Fire Official who is in charge of the River Vale Bureau of Fire Prevention with 2 Fire Inspectors under his direction. The department is staffed by fully trained firefighters, junior firefighters, and fire police. The RVFD is a municipal run public volunteer fire department that is funded by taxes. It is a member of the Pascack Valley mutual aid. In December 2021, the council removed the Fire Chief on charges of insubordination. The department has two stations. The North Firehouse is located at 620 Rivervale Road, and houses one pumper, Engine 56 and the Fire Prevention Bureau. The South Firehouse is located at 334 Rivervale Road, and houses two pumpers, Engines 57 and 58, one tower ladder, Ladder 59, and one rescue unit, Rescue 54, and one rescue boat, Marine 5. There is also a fire command vehicle for the Chief, a vehicle for the Assistant Chief, both Ford Explorers and known as 55 and 551 respectively, and two vehicles for the Fire Prevention Bureau. Dispatching is contracted to Ridgewood, New Jersey based Northwest Central Bergen Dispatch (NWBCD).

Begun in 1956, and formally incorporated in 1957, the River Vale Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Inc. (RVVAC) is located at 333 Rivervale Road. The corps is run by an executive board, consisting of the business officers and the line officers. The business officers are the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer, and the line officers are the Captain, 1st Lieutenant, and 2nd Lieutenant. The RVVAC is an all volunteer independent public emergency medical service. As such, they do not bill for services, and their equipment is not directly paid for by the township. Funding is provided by donations and support from the township. The corps provides basic life support, and is staffed primarily by certified Emergency Medical Technicians. CPR trained drivers are also sometimes on duty. They have two Type III ambulances, Ambulance 50 and Ambulance 60, and three first responder vehicles that on duty members use to respond to emergency calls. Dispatching is provided by the River Vale Police Department's 9 1 1 center. The primary jurisdiction of the RVVAC is the Township of River Vale, but the corps also regularly responds to requests for mutual aid from the neighboring First Aid Squads of Old Tappan, Emerson, Washington Township, Westwood, Hillsdale, and Tri Boro (Park Ridge, Woodcliff Lake, and Montvale). The RVVAC is a member of the New Jersey State First Aid Council, the Pascack Valley Volunteer Ambulance Association and the Pascack Valley Mutual Aid Group.

as of 2010, the township had a total of 47.34 mile (76 km) of roadways, of which 37.66 mile (61 km) were maintained by the municipality and 9.68 mile (16 km) by Bergen County. Main roads in River Vale include Westwood Avenue, Rivervale Road and Prospect Avenue.

Daily bus service is provided by Rockland Coaches (Red and Tan Lines) on routes 84 and 14K to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station and on route 14ET to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. While there is no rail transport in River Vale, the NJ Transit Pascack Valley Line is available in adjacent communities to the west. Daily service is available to Hoboken and Secaucus Junction from the Montvale, Park Ridge, Woodcliff Lake, Hillsdale and Westwood stations.

River Vale Country Club has an 18 hole golf course that is open to the public.