Rutherford has a busy commercial and industrial area on its western side, with shops dotted along the New England Highway. Sitting among the industrial outlets is Maitland Indoor Sports Centre, which boats a variety of indoor fields and provides recreational opportunities for people of all ages.

Maitland Airport is located on the western border of Rutherford. Built in 1948 by the Maitland Aero Club, it was later purchased by the Royal Newcastle Aero Club. The airport does not provide commercial flights and operates mostly for recreational use, aerobatic joy flights and as a flight school. The airport also regularly hosts air shows and flying competitions.

Rutherford Public and St. Paul’s Primary are the two primary schools servicing Rutherford. They feed into Rutherford Technology High School, which is unique in that it provides the standard high school curriculum alongside agricultural education.

Rutherford is more densely populated than some of its neighbouring suburbs and has undergone a boost in popularity in the last six years, meaning many new houses have been built in the area.