While Rowan’s campus is in Glassboro, the town of Glassboro itself has a much different feel to it than the college campus. Glassboro is a fairly large borough in South Jersey, approximately 30 minutes away from Philadelphia and about one hour from Ocean City, NJ. And while Glassboro is home to Rowan University, it is also home to a vibrant community off of Rowan’s college campus.

Glassboro has plenty of different options of entertainment, for adults and the whole family. From many local small businesses to events run by the borough, there’s always something to do in town.

Not only are there plenty of things to do, for students at Rowan University looking to graduate, but Glassboro is relatively a young town. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that in the 2020 Decennial Census, Glassboro had a population of 23,149 residents. Out of the 23,149 residents, 9,575 of those residents are between 15-29 years old. And only 13.5% of the population is over the age of 65.

With lots of Glassboro’s residents being young, it certainly makes it a selling point for young college graduates to begin their lives. Housing in Glassboro is easily accessible, as the U.S. Census Bureau reports that in 2020 there were 1,094 vacant housing units.  A good portion of Glassboro residents rent, as 60.8% of residents own homes, leaving the other 40.2% to rent. 33.1% of renters in Glassboro are paying $1,000-$1,499 per month. Most rent is under $3,000 per month, as it is only reported that 1% of Glassboro renters are paying that amount or more. For the homeowners, 43.1% of houses in Glassboro are between $200,000-$299,999. Another 33.9% are between $300,000-$499,000. 

Rowan’s students had positive things to say about the Glassboro community.

“I really like the environment, the scenery, and the overall presence of people and the community of Glassboro,” said Avery Brainum, a junior accounting major who commutes from Collingswood, NJ. 

Gavin Santucci, a sophomore business major, said, “The two years I’ve been here, it’s been nothing but love and respect from everybody. I’ve got nothing bad to say really.” 

“There’s a lot of amenities in the area that are good to have in a college town,” said Anna Bergen, a freshman environmental and sustainability major. 

Leah Dadas, a freshman psychology major, said, “It seems pretty safe, and there’s a lot of stuff to do around here.”

While the response to Glassboro’s community was positive, many students didn’t seem to love the idea of living there.

“Not too likely,” said Santucci when asked if he would live in Glassboro. “I’m not really too fond of the location. I’d like to be closer to the water because that’s where I’m from.”

Dadas had a similar response.

“I want to move somewhere near the beach because that’s what I’m used to,” said Dadas.

However, many student’s responses changed when asked about a certain hypothetical situation. If they were to get their dream job in Philadelphia, many students would change their minds and say they would like to live in Glassboro.

“I feel like Glassboro would be a great area to live in if you worked in Philadelphia,” Bergen said. “You’re not too close to the city because I wouldn’t want to do that, but you’re right in the middle of everything. It’s a town, not a city area.”

“Absolutely. I would say if I got my dream job in Philly, Glassboro would definitely be an option for me,” said Dadas.

A Glassboro resident had mixed feelings about the town.

“I always felt safe growing up, we never locked the doors,” said Debbie Redfield, a resident of Glassboro for 70 years. “But I do feel that has changed as I’ve gotten older. I believe that crime has increased because the population has increased. I just recently installed cameras on my house, and I never felt the need to do that before.”

With Rowan’s freshman class being the largest in the university’s history, and the expansion of the university year by year, Redfield has neighbors that attend Rowan.

“We have college students that live near us, and they’re wonderful. I love them,” said Redfield. 

But while Redfield loves her neighbors, there are certain students who have given her problems.

Redfield said, “We even go down and listen to their live music, they’ll have bands playing. But some of their guests get out of hand, and end up drinking too much. I had a kid throwing up on my lawn at my house, and we had to get the police to come because we were scared of his health. He couldn’t even move.”

“I’ve actually thought about leaving Glassboro. And it’s beginning to feel that college is starting to infringe on my life. It isn’t necessarily the individual students, I just don’t want frat houses near me. I don’t want that kind of environment, I just want a nice family-oriented neighborhood,” Redfield said. 

However, even with Redfield’s mixed feelings about the town, she still has lots of praise for Glassboro.

“First of all, I believe we have a really great school system,” Redfield said. “I may be a bit biased because I taught 25 years in Glassboro Public Schools, but I also got to see the inside and what goes on in those schools. I think we have a really great school system that is very diverse.”

“The school system is very diverse. And a diverse school prepares students for the real world, and having to work with people from all different backgrounds,” Redfield said.

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