Located in Bergen County, River Vale is a township with a clearly defined local character. The township is a residential township in northern Bergen County within the Pascack Valley. Wooded neighborhoods, schools, parks, golf facilities, and areas along the Hackensack River and reservoir shape the community. Pascack Road, nearby county routes, and rail stations in neighboring towns connect River Vale with Westwood, Hillsdale, Paramus, and New York City. Bergen County occupies northeastern New Jersey, combining dense commercial corridors and older boroughs with lower-density neighborhoods, river valleys, and the Palisades. Its extensive road, rail, and bus network ties local communities closely to Manhattan, Newark, the Meadowlands, and the rest of northern New Jersey. The result is a community that retains its own identity while benefiting from the transportation, employment, and cultural resources of the larger county.