Ridgewood is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the village population was 24,936. Ridgewood is an affluent suburban bedroom community of New York City, located approximately 20 miles northwest of Midtown Manhattan.The Village of Ridgewood was created on November 20, 1894, with the same boundaries as Ridgewood Township. The Village became the municipal government while the Township remained as a school district.In 1700, Johannes Van Emburgh built the first home in Ridgewood.New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Ridgewood as the 61st best place to live in New Jersey in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.