Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, located about eight miles west of Midtown Manhattan in the New York metropolitan area. It is a compact, largely built-out commuter town of roughly 18,900 residents, set between the Passaic River and the Meadowlands and directly adjacent to the larger East Rutherford entertainment district. The borough's identity is closely tied to its most famous resident, the poet and physician William Carlos Williams, who was born in Rutherford in 1883 and returned to the town throughout his life, making it a recurring subject of his work. That literary heritage is preserved at the Williams Center for the Arts, a theater and cinema complex in Williams Park near the train station, and it gives Rutherford a distinctive cultural character among Bergen County's many small suburbs. Rutherford functions as a residential and commuter community, with NJ Transit rail service reaching Manhattan's Penn Station in about 30 minutes at rush hour and additional service to Hoboken for PATH and ferry connections. The downtown along Park Avenue provides everyday shopping and dining, while the Meadowlands Museum, the public library, a community pool, and recreation programs anchor local life. Felician University, known for its nursing program, maintains a campus in the borough. For homebuyers, Rutherford offers a walkable, tree-lined New Jersey suburb with older single-family housing, a five-school district, and one of the shortest rail commutes in Bergen County. It appeals to families, professionals, and commuters seeking a close-knit borough with easy access to both Manhattan and the Meadowlands entertainment complex.