If you grew up in the same place for at least a few years, you already know what, or rather who, your "second family" is.
My "second family" lives in the village of Scarsdale, New York. Scarsdale is a relatively small town in the suburbs of New York City, which is known for many things. For example, the town made national television when a high schooler discovered a planet while interning at NASA.
Some suburbs are known to be quite dry and boring; this could not be said about Scarsdale and the surrounding area. Scarsdale is known to be quite lavish even if its population is few in numbers. The village consists of many Irish and Italians, and Jewish people. All these families from varying backgrounds and cultures learn to live in unison and prosper into one of the wealthiest towns in the entire country.
Though I grew up in the village of Scarsdale, I attended Eastchester schools, because of the way the school districts were drawn. Eastchester is very similar to Scarsdale, and this is really where most of my friends live. The schools are similar in size, both their high schools are around 1000 students. Many consider Eastchester a part of Scarsdale since it has double the population, but nonetheless, it is another wonderful part of New York.
Waverly, the elementary school of Eastchester, was where it all started. Children were beyond distraught for leaving their parents for the first time and were eager to find a friend. This was not the case for me, however, since I made a friend a few years prior in a daycare when I was just 1 year old. Soon after, this group of 2 grew as the days turned into weeks, into months, and into years. A community was formed through the education system, which worked exceedingly well to form a lasting bond.
The makeup of this community can apply to the makeup of the entire town. Many were either Irish, Italian, or Jewish, or a mix mash of those three. Most of the kids were second generation, and people were still attached to their individual ethnicities. Some people in America whose families have been here for generations cannot really do that, at least not with complete certainty. Many people still follow their cultural traditions especially, during holidays, for example on Christmas Eve the Italians have their Feast of the Seven Fishes, many Irish girls take Irish Step Dancing lessons. Though our European counterparts influence this community, we are very much culturally American, with a taste of Old-World culture.