Bergen County is in the Gateway region of New Jersey.
Hackensack — the county seat
East Rutherford — home of the Meadowlands Complex, where the NFL's New York Giants and New York Jets play football
Englewood — has several sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Fort Lee — a residential community across the George Washington Bridge from Manhattan that has a strong Korean-American presence
Garfield - a city of 30,000 with a station on NJ Transit's Bergen County Line
Haworth — a suburban community with a small downtown
Montvale — The last exit on the Garden State Parkway before New York State. Not much of a downtown but lots of service industry and conveniently located between shopping areas in Paramus and Palisades Center mall in West Nyack. Home to one of the oldest Dairy Queens in the country and the establishment remains the same since its opening.
Paramus — a shopping destination for New Yorkers, with three major malls
Park Ridge — a borough with a few historical sites
Ridgewood — a wealthy suburban community
River Edge — home of the New Bridge that was crossed by the Continental Army and General Washington as they retreated from the British attack on New York City on November 20, 1776
River Vale — location of the Baylor Massacre Historical Site, a Revolutionary War surprise attack on September 27, 1778 on a Continental regiment
Rutherford — has several sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Teaneck — home to large Jewish and African American communities, and a thriving arts scene
Westwood — the “Hub of Pascack Valley” has a scenic downtown
Wyckoff — has several sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Bergen County is one of the four original counties in New Jersey. Before New Jersey was what it is today, its earlier borders extended to what are now Passaic and Hudson county. Bergen County is of land in the northeast corner of the state, and its population is just over 900,000 people. Bergen County is #16 out of the top 20 wealthiest counties in America, behind New York as #2, Westchester as #7, and San Francisco as #10.
To get to Bergen County, you can take many different means of transportation. If you're flying, you can fly into Newark International Airport for commercial flights and Teterboro Airport (IATA: TEB) for private flights. If flying into New York makes you happier, you can fly into La Guardia Airport or John F. Kennedy International Airport. All of these airports are within 40 minutes from Bergen County.
Anywhere south, get onto the Garden State Parkway North — any of the exits between 160 and 172 will be able to take you to Bergen County. There are some other highways that can also take you there, but this is the most direct and least confusing way.
If you're coming from the north or east, like New York City, Massachusetts, or Connecticut, you can take the George Washington Bridge (NJ/NY lingo "the GW") or the Tappan Zee Bridge. For the GW, follow signs coming off the bridge for Rt. 4 E, then for Rt. 17 N, then signs for the Garden State Parkway N. If you're taking the Tappan Zee, when you get off, follow signs for I-287 W, then take the 14A exit towards New Jersey. After that, merge onto the New York State Thruway, and take the School House Rd. exit which will lead you into Montvale in Bergen County.
There are also lots of great hotels to stay in that are all over BC. Depending on your price range, there are plenty of Holiday Inns to stay at or you can check in to a Hilton or Mariott.
There are Holiday Inn Expresses in Ramsey and Paramus and a Hilton and Mariott in Woodcliff Lake. Because BC is so small, no matter where you stay, everything is within a half hour of where ever you'll be.
The best way to get around Bergen County is to drive, and there are lots of places to rent cars for a weekend, otherwise you're stuck taking public transportation which only takes you to "working" parts of the area, not the fun parts.
At La Guardia:
Although there is no train service in the eastern parts of Bergen County, a project is underway to extend the Hudson Bergen Light Rail north to Englewood.
One thing that is true about New Jersey is that no matter where you are, you are always 15 minutes away from a mall. In Bergen County, there are three malls.
Bergen County has one of the strictest "blue laws" in the country—virtually all Sunday shopping is banned, with the few exceptions including supermarkets, convenience stores, gas stations, and restaurants. Paramus has even stricter blue laws that ban all work on Sunday except in groceries, restaurants, and entertainment venues. The ban on Sunday shopping is a state law that can be rejected on a county-by-county basis by voter referendum; Bergen County is the only county that has refused to reject the state blue law.
Because Bergen County is such a "family" place, there isn't much of a crazy night life in town. A short 20-minute drive takes you to Nyack, the "it" place to be for a trendy night life.
If you like the pub/bar scene, in Pearl River, New York, which borders Park Ridge in Bergen County, you can go to The Saloon for a more townie, toned down place to have a drink.
If you're still itching for more, New York City is close: take the George Washington Bridge or the Lincoln or Holland Tunnel to downtown NYC for great restaurants and bars.
The local place for LGBT nightlife is Club Feathersat 77 Kinderkamack Rd. in River Edge.
County parks Ski, skate, jog, cycle, golf, picnic, camp overnight, tour a zoo, visit a Revolutionary War site, swim, hike, play softball and tennis. Bergen County parks offer golf courses, horseback riding stables, an environmental center, a zoo and plenty of places to picnic and play.
Primary administrative division