The quiet, small-town, Norman Rockwell appeal of Pitman seems to create a strong bond with residents.

That may be the reason so many stay … for life.

More than 15 percent of this central Gloucester County borough's 9,331 residents are senior citizens, many of them with roots here that go back generations.

While the number of seniors dipped between 1990 and 2000, some say the borough offers a quality of life they don't believe they'd find anywhere else.

On the other hand, some retirees say, the borough offers few senior-specific services, does not have its own senior center and is losing residents to developments like Park Place, an over-55 community in Washington Township.

"There is not a single facility anywhere in the borough of Pit man for seniors," said former Mayor Robert M. Shoemaker, a third generation Pitmanite.

A spry, good-natured man who appears closer to 76 than his true age of 86, Shoemaker said active seniors find ways to entertain themselves, but it's not the same as having a central, dedicated place to meet.

"I'm lucky in that I can get around," said Shoemaker, a Navy aviator during World War II who started a local construction business after the war.

He said officials with the local Veterans of Foreign Wars have offered their facility to the borough for use as a senior center but an agreement has yet to be reached.

Despite the lack of a dedicated center, Shoemaker said Pitman's down home quality appeals to all ages.

"Anything anybody could want is here," said the one-time borough councilman and mayor from 1968 to 1976. His neighbor, Mae Cunningham, said she would never consider moving, either.

"It's a wonderful place to raise children," she said. "I just love the hometown atmosphere."

Cunningham, 76, said she doesn't consider herself a true Pitmanite because she's only been here 49 years. "I raised three kids here and I just love the town," she said. "You can walk down the street at night and feel safe."

Mayor Bruce Ware said that is the essence of life in Pitman.

"It's that the general atmosphere is quiet and neighborly," he said.

Ware acknowledged that the borough could use a senior center but said there is space at borough hall and the library that seniors or other groups can and do use.

He also said the borough provides free busing to seniors and sponsors activities for seniors at the borough hall.