River Vale is the most eastern municipality in an area of the county referred to as the Pascack Valley. The township was ranked #29 on the 100 Best Places to Live 2007 survey published by CNN/Money magazine. River Vale 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.

Creccos cafe is a casual family style restaurant offering Italian-American fare. Established in 2006, here in the heart of Rivervale NJ, Creccos was started by two friends with a passion to break the pizzeria mold and combine quality Italian food in a cafe setting. Today, Creccos Cafe has grown to two locations in Rivervale, NJ and Orangeburg, NY.