[22] The community was originally incorporated as the borough of Riverside by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on June 30, 1894, from portions of Midland Township, based on the results of a referendum held the previous day.

[1][2] A suburb of New York City, River Edge is located approximately 8 miles (13 km) west of Upper Manhattan.

Cherry Hill and North Hackensack are unincorporated communities located within River Edge.

[26] The borough is bordered by the Bergen County municipalities of Hackensack, New Milford, Oradell, Paramus and Teaneck.

[7] The borough form of government used by River Edge is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie.

The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council.

[43][44] As of 2025[update], the mayor of the Borough of River Edge is Democrat Thomas R. Papaleo, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027.

[45][46][47][48][49][50] In January 2020, the borough council selected Indira Kinsella from three candidates nominated by the Democratic municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2020 that had been held by Thomas Papaleo until he resigned to take office as mayor.

[51] In February 2016, the borough council selected Mary Davis from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2016 that was vacated by Edward Mignone when he took office as mayor.

[52] In October 2015, council member Anthony Cappola resigned from office and left the race for an Assembly seat in the 38th Legislative District, following disclosures that he had written and published a 2003 book titled Outrageous that was described as "full of racial slurs, rants and stereotypes".

[55][56][57] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 5th congressional district is represented by Josh Gottheimer (D, Wyckoff).

[60] For the 2024-2025 session, the 38th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Joseph Lagana (D, Paramus) and in the General Assembly by Lisa Swain (D, Fair Lawn) and Chris Tully (D, Bergenfield).

As of 2025[update], the county executive is James J. Tedesco III (D, Paramus), whose four-year term of office ends December 31, 2026.

[62] Bergen County's Commissioners are: Thomas J. Sullivan Jr. (D, Montvale, 2025),[63] Chair Germaine M. Ortiz (D, Emerson, 2025),[64] Joan Voss (D, Fort Lee, 2026),[65] Vice Chair Mary J. Amoroso (D, Mahwah, 2025),[66] Rafael Marte (D, Bergenfield, 2026),[67] Steven A. Tanelli (D, North Arlington, 2027)[68] and Tracy Silna Zur (D, Franklin Lakes, 2027).

[69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76] Bergen County's constitutional officials are: Clerk John S. Hogan (D, Northvale, 2026),[77][78] Sheriff Anthony Cureton (D, Englewood, 2027)[79][80] and Surrogate Michael R. Dressler (D, Cresskill, 2026).

[90] Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 59.8% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 80.7% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide).

[99] The River Edge Elementary School District served students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade.

[119] The Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey, which served 1,040 students in nursery through eighth grade as of the start of the September 2013 school year, was founded as the Yeshiva of Hudson County, and was re-established in Bergen County in 1979.

[122] County Route 503 (Kinderkamack Road) passes north-south through the borough, alongside the Hackensack River.