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is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 9,449. The community was ranked #29 on the 100 Best Places to Live 2007 survey published by CNN/
River Vale was formed as a township on April 30, 1906, from portions of Hillsdale Township (now the Borough of Hillsdale) and Washington Township.
On January 5, 1904, the temperature in River Vale fell to , the lowest temperature ever recorded in New Jersey.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 4.3 square miles (11.2 km
River Vale 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.
Its borders are defined by the Hackensack River to the east, which was dammed to form Lake Tappan, and the 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 the 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 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 one private 27-hole course.
There is a small commercial district surrounding the intersection of Rivervale Road and Westwood Avenue in the southern portion of the township.