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. It was ranked #29 on the 100 Best Places to Live 2007 survey published by CNN/Money magazine.Merritt, Jennifer. "Best Places to Live: Top 100: 29. River Vale, N.J.", CNN / Money magazine, July 7, 2007. Accessed December 16, 2013.
River Vale was formed as a township on April 30, 1906, from portions of both Hillsdale Township (now Hillsdale Borough) and Washington Township.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 86. Accessed May 30, 2024.Honeyman, Abraham Van Doren. Index-analysis of the Statutes of New Jersey, 1896-1909: Together with References to All Acts, and Parts of Acts, in the 'General Statutes' and Pamphlet Laws Expressly Repealed: and the Statutory Crimes of New Jersey During the Same Period, p. 235. New Jersey Law Journal Publishing Company, 1910. Accessed September 23, 2015. The township was named for its location along the Hackensack River.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 23, 2015.
On January 5, 1904, the temperature in River Vale fell to , the lowest temperature ever recorded in New Jersey.State Climate Extremes Committee: Records, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Climatic Data Center. Accessed October 7, 2019.
History The earliest settlers of what would become River Vale were the Lenape Native Americans.
Before 1841, present-day 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.
River Vale was incorporated as a township in 1906, formed from portions of both Hillsdale and Washington Township. On July 15, 1929, part of River Vale was ceded to Park Ridge. On May 20, 1959, territory was acquired from Montvale.
In 1967, a mass grave site was discovered in River Vale from an event in 1778 during the American Revolutionary War, the Baylor Massacre. This became widely known due to a February 1968 report to the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders, "1778 – The Massacre of Baylor's Dragoons." The burial site was made into a county park that was dedicated on October 15, 1972.Baylor Massacre, Township of River Vale. Accessed October 7, 2019.
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 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.Shepherd, Joel. Stern Plate Dedication Ceremony, USS Enterprise CV-6, December 9, 2000. Accessed December 16, 2013. "On December 9, 2000 – a clear, crisp winter day – eleven veterans of Enterprise CV-6 joined Raymond Z. Darakjian, mayor of New Jersey's River Vale Township, Rear Admiral Richard Naughton, who commanded Enterprise CVN-65 in 1993, and other dignitaries to dedicate the stern plate of Enterprise CV-6, in its new resting place in River Vale'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".James, George. "Communities; Political Liability", The New York Times, June 27, 2004. Accessed October 7, 2019. "Call it small but litigious.... But since March, River Vale has held the dubious distinction of being the first municipality in the state ever to be placed on probation by the Municipal Excess Liability Joint Insurance Fund, a self-insured governmental agency that covers legal expenses of lawsuits incurred by its members."
Geography
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%).
The township is bordered by Montvale to the northwest, Park Ridge, Woodcliff Lake (a very small section) and Hillsdale to the west, Westwood to the southwest, a small section bordering Emerson to the south, Harrington Park to the southeast, Old Tappan to the east, and Pearl River, New York to the north.About, Township of River Vake. Accessed March 4, 2020. "Located in the Pascack Valley region of Bergen County, New Jersey, River Vale is a 4.3 square mile suburban community of about 10,000 full time residents. River Vale is bordered by the New Jersey towns of Montvale, Park Ridge, Woodcliff Lake, Hillsdale, Westwood, Emerson, Harrington Park, Old Tappan and to the north, Pearl River, New York."Areas touching River Vale, MapIt. Accessed March 4, 2020.Bergen County Map of Municipalities, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed March 4, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
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.Chen, David W. "What Price Progress? Battle Lines Drawn in the Watershed", The New York Times, November 24, 1996. Accessed January 30, 2012. In the southwest of the township, the Pascack Brook County Park also preserves a wooded area.Pascack Brook County Park, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed October 7, 2019. 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.
Demographics
2020 census As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 9,909, an increase of 250 (+2.6%) from the 2010 census count of 9,659, which in turn reflected an increase of 210 (+2.2%) from the 9,449 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.
+River Vale township, Bergen County, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)8,4708,1867,75689.64%84.75%78.27%Black or African American alone (NH)50641170.53%0.66%1.18%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)0280.00%0.02%0.08%Asian alone (NH)5568099935.88%8.38%10.02%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)2010.02%0.00%0.01%Other race alone (NH)910300.10%0.10%0.30%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)581072730.61%1.11%2.76%Hispanic or Latino (any race)3044817313.22%4.98%7.38%Total9,4499,6599,909 100.00%100.00%100.00%
2010 census
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.
Of the households, 37.4% had children under the age of 18; 70.2% were married couples living together; 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 20.8% were non-families. Of all households, 18.4% were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.24.
26.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 19.1% from 25 to 44, 32.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 93.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 89.3 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $120,820 (with a margin of error of +/− $7,009) and the median family income was $135,612 (+/− $8,972). Males had a median income of $100,594 (+/− $8,458) versus $61,516 (+/− $11,658) for females. The per capita income for the township was $49,586 (+/− $4,018). About 0.7% of families and 2.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.4% of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over.DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for River Vale township, Bergen County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 30, 2012.
Same-sex couples headed 23 households in 2010, an increase from the 9 counted in 2000.Lipman, Harvy; and Sheingold, Dave. "North Jersey sees 30% growth in same-sex couples", The Record, August 14, 2011, backed up by the Internet Archive as of February 3, 2013. Accessed August 21, 2014.
2000 census As of the 2000 United States census there were 9,449 people, 3,275 households, and 2,675 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 3,312 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 92.33% White, 0.58% African American, 5.89% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.22% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for River Vale township, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 13, 2013.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for River Vale township, Bergen County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 13, 2013.