{"id":381406,"date":"2025-11-15T19:55:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-15T19:55:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/381406\/"},"modified":"2025-11-15T19:55:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-15T19:55:13","slug":"where-i-live-westcliff-teen-reflects-on-growing-up-finding-peace-in-lifelong-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/381406\/","title":{"rendered":"Where I Live: Westcliff teen reflects on growing up, finding peace in lifelong home"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Andrew James<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have lived in the Westcliff neighborhood my whole life, ever since I could walk on my two feet.<\/p>\n

I have a lot of memories here. It\u2019s where I was the little brother to my big brother, Billy. It\u2019s the place where a dresser fell on top of me. It\u2019s where I grew up and just where everything began.<\/p>\n

Home is where I get to take a break from everything \u2014 my place of zen and peace.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s where I can get away from the craziness at school, especially on Fridays. Not having classes at Key School that day is good for me because my little brother, George, is at school. I have the day to myself to just relax.<\/p>\n

I hang out with my friends. Sometimes, my role playing club on Fridays, and we play games such as \u201cDungeons & Dragons.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

I really like horror attractions. I\u2019m a big, scary Halloween kind of guy. A few years ago, a friend gave me a skeleton prop because of my love of scary things. The best part? The skeleton is a pirate with a parrot on its shoulder. It\u2019s seen better days, but now it sits at our backyard table.<\/p>\n

I also find zen and peace outside of home. I like to get out and do stuff. George and I walk over to our neighborhood park, but that\u2019s on a rare occasion when there are only a few people there. I\u2019m not a big fan of crowded areas.<\/p>\n

Although I was the little brother growing up, now I am the big brother. It\u2019s a lot of work. I have to make sure George, 7, does his homework, practices cello and stays in bed. I love him, especially when he is not being a little bit of a pain in the butt.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be a senior next year. I\u2019ve been thinking about my future, and I have a few ideas. I\u2019m looking at following in my grandfather\u2019s footsteps and attending the New Mexico Military Institute. I\u2019m considering a few other schools, including one in New Jersey. I could go into the Coast Guard because I like the water. After I serve my time, I might go into underwater welding.<\/p>\n

If that doesn\u2019t work out, I could always fall back onto the results from a job quiz I took at school. The results showed I could be a video game maker, which works because I like games. It helps my imagination.<\/p>\n

I think about moving to other places, maybe Hawaii or the Bahamas. I don\u2019t want to be too close to home because I feel like I\u2019ve been here enough. I just want to go out and do stuff.<\/p>\n

Fort Worth is a familiar place to me. It\u2019s not too big, like New York. I\u2019m not really into big cities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Regardless of my future, I know Fort Worth will always be home.<\/p>\n

\nWestcliff\n<\/p>\n

Total population<\/strong>: 3,517
Male: 53.9% | Female: 46.1%<\/p>\n

Age<\/strong>
0-9: 5%
10-19: 14.2%
20-29: 27.4%
30-39: 12.2%
40-49: 9.6%
50-59: 9.4%
60-69: 16.7%
70-79: 4.3%
80 and older: 1.1%<\/p>\n

Education<\/strong>
No degree: 3.4%
High school: 8.8%
Some college: 16.6%?
Bachelor\u2019s degree: 36.1%
Post-graduate: 35%<\/p>\n

Race<\/strong>
White: 80% | Hispanic: 15.3% | Other: 3.3% | Black: .9% | Asian: .2% | Two or more: .4%<\/p>\n

Click on the link to view the schools\u2019 Texas Education Agency ratings:<\/p>\n

Source: Census Reporter<\/a><\/p>\n

Andrew James, 17, is a junior at the Key School. He is a Fort Worth native who has lived here his entire life. He lives in the Westcliff neighborhood near TCU with his parents, Mark and Caroline James, and his brother, George. He loves all things water related, including fishing and pirates.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n

Republish This Story<\/p>\n

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