Riverdale (population: 47,850, according to the 2000 U.S. Census) is a residential neighborhood in the northwest portion of the Bronx in New York City. Riverdale contains the northernmost point in New York City.

Riverdale's ZIP codes are 10463 and 10471. While 10471 is entirely in Riverdale, 10463 also covers the adjacent neighborhoods of Kingsbridge and Marble Hill.

Riverdale was a 19th-century estate district where many of Manhattan's 19th-century moguls built their country estates. At the turn of the century, the new popularity of rail commuting meant that wealthy businessmen made Riverdale their year-round residence. The Fieldston neighborhood, because it is owned by a private association, is a particularly intact example of a turn-of-the century upper class suburb. The Hudson Hill neighborhood retains many of its historic mansions. Riverdale's elite private schools and historic churches also reflect this past.

As the 20th century progressed, apartment buildings and smaller houses were added to the neighborhood, although Riverdale continues to maintain its character as a relatively affluent enclave in the city of New York. The rich history of Riverdale has led to the creation of the Riverdale Historic District. The exact area is bound roughly by 252nd and 254th Streets and Palisade and Independence Avenues.

Leland Weintraub, the commissioner who moved for the district's creation, noted that "most of the features commonly associated with the American romantic suburb of the mid-19th century," including "a picturesque site, landscaping and architecture; connection to the city by accessible transportation and a layout adapted to the topography" are present in the area.

In May 2009, the FBI ran a sting operation to prevent a bombing plot in which two Riverdale synagogues were the suggested targets. This followed the 1989 firebombing of the Riverdale Press.

On July 26, 2010, the National Weather Service confirmed that an EF1 tornado hit Riverdale the day before. There were no fatalities, but 7 people were injured.

Housing in Riverdale ranges from multi-story apartment buildings dating from the 1950s and 1960s, such as The Century Building, 3333 Henry Hudson Parkway, and 555 Kappock Street to large, architecturally distinguished houses built in the early 20th century, mostly in Georgian- and Tudor-revival styles. It is also home to the modernist landmark Saul Victor house, designed by Ferdinand Gottlieb in 1967. Other famous mansions in the Hudson Hill neighborhood include: Greyston (1864), Alderbrook (1880), Stonehurst (1861) and Oaklawn (1863). Since 2005, Central Riverdale has experienced a building boom with the addition of many mid- and high-rise condominium buildings.

In August 2008, Columbia University purchased an almost-completed apartment building by Henry Hudson Parkway for use as faculty housing.

Administratively, Riverdale is part of Community Board 8. Wave Hill, a combination botanical garden and outdoor art gallery, is located in the so-called Estate Area overlooking the Hudson River.

Two weekly newspapers, the Riverdale Press and the Riverdale Review, focus on news of interest to residents of the neighborhood.

Gaelic Park, the headquarters of the New York GAA, is where Gaelic football and hurling are played in the New York metropolitan area. It is located at West 240th Street.

Riverdale is home to three top-tier private schools (Horace Mann, Riverdale Country, and Fieldston, all members of the Ivy Preparatory School League) and two Roman Catholic colleges (The College of Mount Saint Vincent and Manhattan College). The Academy for Jewish Religion is one of two similarly named transdenominational rabbinical schools, the other located in Los Angeles, California.

The public elementary schools are the Spuyten Duyvil School (P.S. 24) and the Robert J. Christen School (P.S. 81). The public middle school and high school is M.S./H.S 141, the Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy. Nearby high schools that also serve the community include the Bronx High School of Science and John F. Kennedy High School.

Two important institutions of higher education are located in Riverdale. Manhattan College a co-educational Catholic College with education in the Lasalian tradition and the College of Mount Saint Vincent's in North Riverdale.

The late twentieth century increase in the Jewish population of the neighborhood has meant that Riverdale is now home to top-ranked Jewish day schools, the SAR Academy, a elementary school, and the SAR High School, as well as the Yeshiva of Telshe Alumni and Yeshiva Ohavei Torah of Riverdale. Kinneret Day School is a private Jewish day school in Spuyten Duyvil, serving grades K through 8 in addition to pre-school. Catholic elementary schools in the area are St. Gabriel's School and St. Margaret of Cortona School.

Also in the area are several pre-schools including the Riverdale Temple Nursery School, Spuyten Duyvil Preschool, Kinneret Day School, SAR Academy (Early Learning Center) Riverdale Nursery School and Family Center, and the Riverdale Presbyterian Church Nursery School.

As of the 2000 census, there were 47,850 people residing in Riverdale. The population density was 19,997 per square mile (7,724/km²). The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 78.74% White (71.89% White Non-Hispanic), 5.36% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 7.66% Black, 0.16% Native American, 4.85% from other races, and 3.18% from two or more races. Of those, 13.38% of the population were Hispanic of any race. Fully 24.15% of the population was foreign born; of this, 51.76% came from Europe, 22.92% from Latin America, 21.71% from Asia and 3.61% from other parts of the world.

In 1974, a large residential compound and school was established in North Riverdale by the Permanent Mission of the USSR to the United Nations (now the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the UN) to house diplomats and their families. The 20-story building was constructed from the top down, with the upper floors built first.

Riverdale covers about three square miles in area. It is bordered on the north by the city of Yonkers; to the east by Van Cortlandt Park and the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx; to the west by the Hudson River; and to the south by the Harlem River.

The subsections of Riverdale are:

The leafy, scenic enclave of Fieldston, a private community, was designated as an historic district by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2006.

The Riverdale section of the Bronx is protected by the FDNY Fire Station # 52 or Engine 52/Ladder 52, located at 4550 Henry Hudson Parkway East in Central Riverdale. Engine 52/Ladder 52 is the only firehouse in the Riverdale Section and the most northern fire station in the FDNY. Also, the companies of Engine and Ladder 52 are the second of two fire companies where the engine company and the ladder company each have the same number, the other being Engine and Ladder 10 on Liberty Street in Lower Manhattan. Engine Company 52 currently operates a 2003 Seagrave Commander II Custom 1000/500 Pumper Engine and Ladder Company 52 currently operates a 2006 Seagrave Commander II Custom 100' Rear-Mount Aerial Ladder Truck. Both companies use Seagrave Fire Apparatus, the main manufacturer of fire apparatus for the FDNY.

In May 2009, the FBI thwarted a terrorist plot to car bomb two local synagogues by clandestinely supplying the would-be terrorists with blanks instead of real bombs.

The exteriors of many of Riverdale's locations have been used in movies.

Elia Kazan's 1961 classic "Splendor in the Grass" starring Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty included several scenes shot at the elite Horace Mann School

In 1938's "Bringing Up Baby," Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant's characters visit a Riverdale estate owned by the fictional "Peabody" family

In 2005's "Good Night, and Good Luck", George Clooney's character Fred Friendly states that he is relocating to a nice house in Riverdale

In J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye", Holden Caulfied takes the IRT Broadway – Seventh Avenue Line subway to the 242nd St./Van Cortlandt Park stop in Riverdale

Archie Andrews of the Archie comics lives in Riverdale. Its exact geographical location is not mentioned, although it is a coastal city and receives snowfall in the winter.

Much of Woody Allen's film "Husbands and Wives" takes place in Riverdale.

In the Spike Lee joint, 25th Hour, when Monty asks Naturelle whether or not she is on a scholarship, she replies, "What, I can't be from Riverdale?"

Dorney and Malone's Tavern on Broadway was filmed in the 2007 romantic comedy The Accidental Husband, starring Uma Thurman. In one scene in Mean Streets, two teenagers from Riverdale are swindled when they attempt to purchase illegal firecrackers.

Frank Sinatra shot a few scenes of his movie "Contract on Cherry Street" on Fairfield Avenue in the late 1970s.

"Law & Order" regularly shoots throughout Riverdale

In Scorsese's classic 1973 film "Mean Streets", characters Tony and Michael scam $20 off some kids from Riverdale who are trying to buy fireworks.

The northern terminal station of the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line of the New York City Subway is located at the intersection of 242nd Street and Broadway. The tracks and stations are elevated along Broadway in Kingsbridge. Riverdale is accessible from Kingsbridge and from Inwood by city bus lines that run throughout the Riverdale area. Metro-North commuter railroad service is available at the Spuyten Duyvil station, located underneath the Henry Hudson Parkway and alongside the shore of the Harlem River at Edsall Avenue. Metro-North service is also available at the Riverdale station, located between West 254th Street and West 255th Street. The 242nd Street elevated subway station is served by the 1, while the Spuyten Duyvil and Riverdale railroad stations are served by the Hudson Line. Metro-North commuting time from the Spuyten Duyvil station to Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan is around 22 minutes.

Manhattan can also be reached by MTA Bus Company's (formerly Liberty Lines) express routes. By car, Riverdale is commonly reached by the Henry Hudson Parkway (Route 9A), which bisects much of the neighborhood. This major thoroughfare connects it to Manhattan over the Henry Hudson Bridge to the south. One can also drive between Manhattan and Riverdale via the Broadway Bridge, which is on Broadway, by the Harlem River.

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