1668History
Union Avenue, which runs from the Meadowlands to the Passaic River, may have been an Indian trail, but was more likely a property boundary line; it was referenced in the 1668 gr...
1687Government
== History ==
The ridge above the New Jersey Meadowlands upon which Rutherford sits was settled by Lenape Native Americans long before the arrival of Walling Van Winkle in 1687.
1693Culture
New Barbadoes was part of Essex County from 1693 to 1710, when Bergen County was formed.
1826Culture
In 1826, the land became part of Lodi Township (of which today's remaining portion is now South Hackensack).
1840Culture
When Hudson County was formed in 1840, the area that is today North Arlington, Lyndhurst, Rutherford and East Rutherford became part of Harrison Township (of which today's remai...
1852History
However, the area reverted to Bergen County in 1852 and became known as Union Township.
1858Economy
(Frances Augusta), 1858–1942, History of Bergen County, New Jersey, 1630–1923, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1923.
1866Economy
Daniel Van Winkle, a descendant of Walling, donated land in 1866 for a train station at Boiling Springs.
1869History
Tomkins in 1869, the house was expanded to three levels, 25 rooms and 18,000 square feet (1,700 m2) by textbook publisher David Brinkerhoff Iverson after he acquired the home in...
1871History
The RFD was organized in May 1871 and consists of one Chief, one deputy chief and three assistant chiefs.
1875Government
The rowing club, established in Nutley in 1875, relocated to Rutherford in 1996.
1876Government
Hayes, who was elected President in 1876, or could have been because of a clerical error by the United States Postal Service.
1879Culture
The police department was originally organized in June 1879 as the Rutherford Protective and Detective Association.
1881Government
Rutherford was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on September 21, 1881, from portions of Union Township, based on the results of a referendum held on t...
1882History
History of Bergen and Passaic Counties, New Jersey, with Biographical Sketches of Many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men., Philadelphia: Everts and Peck, 1882.
1889History
The GFWC Woman's Club of Rutherford is a non-profit volunteer organization that was organized in 1889.
1898Architecture
Rutherford's train station, which was built by the Erie Railroad in 1898, serves passengers on NJ Transit's Bergen County Line.
1900Education
Public education began in Rutherford prior to 1900, but the oldest permanent school structure was the Park School, built in 1902 on Park Avenue.
1922Architecture
The Rivoli Theatre was opened in 1922 as a vaudeville house but was quickly converted into a movie palace.
1927Architecture
Following the 1927 New Jersey State Highway renumbering, the new New Jersey Route 2 (later Route 17) was built in 1928, skirting the southeast edge of the borough, between the r...
1929Government
Mary High School, founded in 1929.
1937Economy
After the opening of the Lincoln Tunnel in 1937, the Inter-City Bus Company began bus service direct from Paterson to New York City.
1938Education
In 1938, the former Park Junior High School was purchased for $50,000 and converted for use as Rutherford borough hall.
1941Government
The Rutherford Community Band was founded in 1941 and performs free concerts at venues throughout the borough, including the Hutzel Memorial Band Shell in Lincoln Park.
1942Government
In 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University was founded in Rutherford as a two-year college, anchored by the Iviswold Castle on Montross Avenue, which was built in the 1880s as a su...
1948Architecture
In 1948, a new bypass road along the southwest edge of the borough was built to bring traffic from Clifton and points west to the Lincoln Tunnel.
1949History
=== Ambulance ===
The Rutherford First Aid-Ambulance Corps is a volunteer service that was organized in 1949.
1951History
== Parks and recreation ==
Rutherford Memorial Park, in the northwest corner of town along the Passaic, was set aside as parkland by the voters in 1951.
1958Government
== Notable people ==
== References ==
== Sources ==
Municipal Incorporations of the State of New Jersey (according to Counties) prepared by the Division of Local Government,...
1961Education
The Meadowlands Museum, which focuses on local history and began as a project of parents of children in the public schools in 1961 and was originally based in a room at Sylvan S...
1963Culture
== Arts and culture ==
William Carlos Williams, the Pulitzer Prize–winning poet who died in 1963, was born in Rutherford in 1883.
1965Military
Ward in 1965 and Thomas E.
1973History
William Carlos Williams House – 9 Ridge Road (added 1973).
1977Disaster
On January 9, 1977, the Rivoli was severely damaged in a fire.
1981Architecture
The William Carlos Williams Center for the Performing Arts opened in 1981 and contains three movie screens as well as two performance halls.
1983History
Kip Homestead – 12 Meadow Road (added 1983).
1984History
Rutherford station – Station Square (added 1984).
1994History
Dunn in 1994—have died in the line of duty.
1995Culture
Since 1995, the Williams Center's primary focus has been on concerts, ballet, opera, and theater for children.
1997Education
In the fall of 1997, the Rutherford campus was purchased by Felician College, an independent private Roman Catholic institution, which often has cultural and community events.
2000History
=== 2000 census ===
As of the 2000 United States census there were 18,110 people, 7,055 households, and 4,670 families residing in the borough.
2002Architecture
The swing span of the Union Avenue Bridge over the Passaic was replaced in June 2002 as part of a $9.5 million project.
2004History
=== Historic sites ===
Rutherford is home to the following locations on the National Register of Historic Places:
Iviswold – 223 Montross Avenue (added 2004).
2006History
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $85,783 (with a margin of error of +/− $4,63...
2008Economy
On May 27, 2008, the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission terminated its agreement with EnCap Golf Holdings, the company that had the contract to redevelop the site, after the comp...
2009Architecture
New Jersey Transit initiated a $1 million project in 2009 to renovate the station, which had been constructed in 1898, to restore the interior of the structure.
2010History
Same-sex couples headed 65 households in 2010, an increase from the 48 counted in 2000.
2011Civil Rights
=== Politics ===
As of March 2011, there were a total of 10,609 registered voters in Rutherford, of which 3,436 (32.4% vs.
2012History
In 2012, a Molotov cocktail had been thrown the synagogue.
2013Education
Located on the campus of Felician College, a $9 million renovation project of the Iviswold castle that took 14 years was completed in 2013.
2016Government
In the 2016 presidential election, Democrat Hillary Clinton received 4.796 votes (54.0% vs.
2017Culture
In 2017, the first annual Rutherford Downhill Derby provided kids and adults with the opportunity to build, design, and race gravity powered race carts.
2018Government
In 2018, the Rutherford Pride Alliance was founded.
2023Government
As of 2023, the mayor of the Borough of Rutherford is Democrat Frank Nunziato, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027.
2024History
Members of the Rutherford Borough Council are Council President Stephanie McGowan (D, 2024), Matthew Cokeley (D, 2024), Christie Del Rey-Cone (D, 2023), Raymond L.
2025Disaster
In August 2025, a fire destroyed the Victorian building of Congregation Beth-El, an Orthodox Jewish synagogue dating back to its founding in 1919.
2026Government
For the 2026–2027 session, the 36th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Paul Sarlo (D, Wood-Ridge) and in the General Assemb...
2027Military
Tanelli (D, North Arlington, 2027),
Chair Pro Tem Joan Voss (D, Fort Lee, 2026),
Rafael Marte (D, Bergenfield, 2026),
Germaine M.