Alright so we've got... rival corporations (instead of full on corruption we could tone them down to just being shady?), a big Modern City Academy as the main school, some kind of mountain landmark (might be a little strange in a coastal town but I think I can do it still), and definitely a laboratory of some kind within the business district.

Now, next question: What about people? Any kind of important or celebrity figures you'd like me to focus on? The mayor, perhaps? Maybe a local rock band or something that's popular with all the kids? Any other educational facilities such as colleges or the like that I should take into consideration?

I'm really the digging the idea of cooperatively building the setting, right now. Got the idea from a tabletop RPG called FATE.

Anyway, to answer an earlier question, I was intending this to be set in present day. Unless of course there's enough consensus to set it in a different era?