[23] Tenafly was incorporated as a borough on January 24, 1894, by an act of the New Jersey Legislature from portions of the now-defunct Palisades Township, based on the results of a referendum held the previous day.

[24][27] The first European settlers in Tenafly were Dutch immigrants, who began to populate the area during the late 17th century.

There, the terrain rises dramatically to the east of the downtown area, terminating at the New Jersey Palisades, overlooking the Hudson River.

[20] Based on data from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey for 2013–2017, Tenafly residents median household income had increased substantially from the 2006-2010 survey, reaching $153,381, ranked 13th in the state among municipalities with more than 10,000 residents, more than double the statewide median of $76,475.

11.1% of residents reported that they were of Irish, 8.7% Russian, 8.6% Italian, 7.9% American, 7.8% German and 6.2% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.

This charter retains most aspects of the borough form of government, with the addition of initiative, referendum and recall features.

[7] As the legislative body, the borough council adopts ordinances and resolutions, decides on appropriations, approves appointments made by the mayor, determines policy and establishes the functions of the various departments of the local government.

[3] Members of the Tenafly Borough Council are Lauren M. Dayton (D, 2023), Jeffrey D. Grossman (D, 2023), Venugopal Menon (D, 2024), Adam Michaels (D, 2025), Julie O'Connor (D, 2024) and Daniel Park (D, 2025).

[50][51][52][53][54][55][56] In January 2020, the borough council appointed Julie O'Connor to fill the remainder of the term expiring in December 2021 that had been held by Mark Zinna until he stepped down earlier that month to take office as mayor.

After six years of litigation in the federal courts, Tenafly settled by keeping the eruvs intact and paid $325,000 of the plaintiff's legal fees.

[60][61][62] Prior to the 2010 Census, Tenafly had been part of the 5th Congressional District, a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.

[64][65] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 5th congressional district is represented by Josh Gottheimer (D, Wyckoff).

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

[70] Bergen County's Commissioners are: Thomas J. Sullivan Jr. (D, Montvale, 2025),[71] Chair Germaine M. Ortiz (D, Emerson, 2025),[72] Joan Voss (D, Fort Lee, 2026),[73] Vice Chair Mary J. Amoroso (D, Mahwah, 2025),[74] Rafael Marte (D, Bergenfield, 2026),[75] Steven A. Tanelli (D, North Arlington, 2027)[76] and Tracy Silna Zur (D, Franklin Lakes, 2027).

[77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84] Bergen County's constitutional officials are: Clerk John S. Hogan (D, Northvale, 2026),[85][86] Sheriff Anthony Cureton (D, Englewood, 2027)[87][88] and Surrogate Michael R. Dressler (D, Cresskill, 2026).

[92] Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 60.1% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 87.3% of those aged 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide).

[123] Tenafly High School had the 16th highest SAT scores in the state among students in the class of 2017.

[125][126] Academy of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which operates under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark,[127] was recognized in 2012 by the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program of the United States Department of Education, one of 15 public and private schools in the state to be honored that year.

The Palisades Interstate Parkway runs above the Hudson River from Englewood Cliffs north towards Alpine.

[138] The Northern Branch Corridor Project, a proposal by New Jersey Transit to extend the Hudson Bergen Light Rail for nine stops and 11 miles (18 km) northward from its current terminus in North Bergen to two stations in Tenafly, the last of which would be a new terminus near the Cresskill town line, met with mixed reactions.

[139][140] Many residents and officials believed that the negative consequences for the borough in terms of traffic and noise outweighed the benefits.

[143] Despite local opposition, officials in Bergen County asked the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority to support the proposal.

[144] In 2013, New Jersey Transit announced that the line would end in Englewood, after Tenafly officials estimated that as much as $8 million in commercial property valuation would be lost and residents raised strong objections.