

A quiet neighborhood sits wedged between farms in an upper-middle class suburb. It is a classic example of the 'nice at the surface, mean underneath' suburban stereotype. The people might be friendly at first but the drama and social problems are the same as anywhere else. There is a sense of community among minority groups; not to say that friendships aren't forged inter-racially, but every person who identifies as American in a suffix (Asian-Anerican, Italian-American, etc.) has a sense of ancestral pride. The town is technologically advanced and has good infrastructure. There are many pizza places around and Starbucks, as well as other food and drink places like that. That makes it seem like there are a lot of places to hang out, but unless you are able to own a car (and you're not in this state until you are 17) you're out of luck. Few retail-type places are accessible walking, as there are not a lot of sidewalks. If you do manage to have transportation ready, chances are the destination is the large mall on the suburb a few miles away. The shopping hub is an important part of the community. There is a movie theatre and many popular store brands there; families, teen groups of all types, housewives... pretty much anyone and everyone. Other than restaurants or summer trips to the shore, when someone says they are going out, they probably mean the mall. 
Most people say that the schools are sub-par, but in all reality most of  A lighter note on this community's academic state stems from that; people who do care about their education are studious and are willing to help out others with their work. The area has many libraries and community centers for all types of learning. The community centers also hold a lot of fairs and similar recreation, so there are places for people to play sports unlike in a city. Pools, soccer/football fields, and baseball fields are common; there are also biking trails to make up for hte lack of easily accessible places as a pedestrian, but the bike is still not practical to get to a store or restaraunt. The schools in the county are quite high on the academic scale compared to the rest of the country. It doesn't seem that way though. The issue is with the attitudes of some of the people attending (or not). Privileged kids don't feel they need to be successful academically. They might be riding on the coattails of their parents' success, or otherwise becoming concerned more with recreational drugs; for a 'nice neighborhood' the abuse rate is pretty high. But the academic standard is still high; perhaps those not adapted socially in the same manner as the previously mentioned, majority group, are more motivated to learn. It was probably the case for me, not wanting to turn out the same way they did. In fact, one of the highest ranked schools in the country is just 10 minutes away from the neighborhood and many schools in the district even have specialized career programs.

