Gathering in South Jersey

I live up the road from Pitman, NJ, an interesting (to say the least) little borough that's only about 2 square miles, and is built around "The Grove," an old turn-of-the-century Methodist Camp.

Get this: you can't drive into the Grove; you can only walk-in. Talk about pedestrian friendly!

Well, Pitman has been going through positive changes over the years, and revitalization is always popular news; hence the Inquirer's report the other day met with lots of positive feedback from readers.

Here's a quote from the article:

The downtown, a two-block stretch with a music cafe, a hobby and craft shop, a chess specialty store, an old-fashioned bakery, and a tea parlor, is creating a buzz in the two-square-mile community of 9,800.

"It's making a comeback," said Mayor Michael Batten, a Pitman barber for 40 years.

Having survived fierce competition from malls and shopping centers, it's one of the few downtowns in the region.

Only about 120 of the state's 566 municipalities have downtowns or village centers, said Jef Buehler, coordinator of Main Street New Jersey, a state revitalization program. Other downtowns include Collingswood, Millville, Mount Holly, Mullica Hill, Haddonfield, and Moorestown.

The lack of center in so many of New Jersey's municipalities is indicative, as I've said before, of an identity issue for so many Jersey people (whether they can pinpoint that or not).

People are made for places, and vice-versa. When one or the other is not what it should be, there is general dis-ease, so to speak.

Let's hear it for Pitman and I'd love to meet the people mentioned in this article who are doing so much for this llittle Gloucester boro, as well as other boros and towns in our county.