around here

"Around here" means "nearby" or "in this neighborhood". It's a slightly casual expression.

There is/are (something)(somewhere)

It's common to use "there is ___" or "there are ___" when you're describing a scene or situation:

When you go in his office, there are books scattered all around.

You could also describe a scene this way:

When you go in his office, books are scattered all around.

But that's not as common, because it doesn't communicate the sense that you're giving a description. It sounds more like you're stating a fact. "Facts" are pieces of information like this:

Math textbooks cost a lot of money.

But a "description" has a slightly different feeling. It kind of invites the listener to imagine that they are in the situation you're describing:

There was a math textbook at the campus bookstore that cost a hundred and ninety dollars!

So when you're describing a scene, it's more common to use "There is", "There are", "There were", etc.:

There were books scattered all over.

There're

When people pronounce "There are" they often shorten it to "There're".

There're a lot of people who I went to college with who live nearby.

When you listen, it might even sound like the speaker is just saying "they".

Something else that English speakers sometimes do is say "There's" when "There're" would be more correct.

There's a lot of people who I went to college with who live nearby.