East Rutherford is a borough in southern Bergen County at the western edge of the New Jersey Meadowlands. Route 3, Route 17, the New Jersey Turnpike, and nearby rail service provide access to New York City, Newark, and the wider metropolitan region. The eastern portion of the borough contains major entertainment, sports, retail, hotel, and transportation destinations, including the Meadowlands Sports Complex and American Dream. Residential neighborhoods, schools, local businesses, and civic facilities are concentrated farther west near Paterson Avenue and the traditional borough center. Industrial and warehouse properties remain along major road and rail corridors. East Rutherford developed from a small railroad and manufacturing community into one of the region's most important event and commercial destinations. Its unusual combination of a compact residential borough and large-scale Meadowlands facilities gives it a local character unlike any other municipality in Bergen County.