Younger children in the cities and suburbs often begin their education in small neighborhood schools where they are grouped together with those they might already know from local parks. Their families tend to be within the same general social strata, and it is common for them to be within the same economic bracket. On the whole, this gives children a chance to solidify their identity within a fairly familiar environment. There are fewer changes for children to adopt because of these factors, but this all changes for children who live in rural environments.

Visitors to the countryside generally enjoy the peace and quiet of fewer people and less traffic, but there is a downside of this for local children. The lack of people also means there are large areas that are inhabited by only a family or two, so the children are less likely to have small neighborhood schools. While older children in more populous areas might have to travel across town for schooling, children of all ages in rural areas must travel quite a way to attend school. There are many drawbacks to this, but there are also advantages.