Is it only Northern California people say "hella" instead of "very"? (Oakland: 2015, middle school)

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

This thread is cracking me up! Too funny.

The first time I heard "hella" was when I lived in Woodland, CA (near Davis). It was the young male nephews of a friend of mine - hispanic, if it makes a difference. That was common lingo for the kids in Woodland at the time. Must have been around 2001 or 2002. Then my friend, their aunt, started using it, and I admit I would use it when around them, too :-)

Haven't heard if for a long time since.

I like the idea of blending the lingo from the north and south when in central CA. Seems hella rational to me.

[HelloAaron]

Originally Posted by My Other Self

Hecka has become common use lately. I hear that as much, if not more, than hella nowadays.

I think hella is more common amongst teenagers and college kids in the Bay Area. I hear people say "hella" a lot. I have yet to hear "hecka". Grew up in So. Cal, in college in the Bay Area for reference.

[Ceece]

I say it sometimes because I picked it up living my entire life in The Bay. I'm over 50 so it's not just a teenage thing, it's been around WAY too long for it to be just a teenage thing but my daughter grew up saying it so that's probably where I got it from! Of course I also sometimes say "far out" too so I'm really all over the map with my vocab. I'm careful with my words in professional settings but what shooting the breeze with friends you never know what's going to come out of my mouth.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by Ceece

I say it sometimes because I picked it up living my entire life in The Bay. I'm over 50 so it's not just a teenage thing, it's been around WAY too long for it to be just a teenage thing but my daughter grew up saying it so that's probably where I got it from! Of course I also sometimes say "far out" too so I'm really all over the map with my vocab. I'm careful with my words in professional settings but what shooting the breeze with friends you never know what's going to come out of my mouth.

Groovy, man.

[Twinkle Toes]

I try to fit in a "Cowabunga" here and there. You know ... to be more "California-ish"!!!

I suppose if I wanted to be more "hip" (or is it "hep"???) I would say "Hella Cowabunga"!!!

[savoytruffle]

If you want to use California slang on the East Coast then I do not think they'll notice the discrepancy between "the 1" and "hella."

Hella is from the East Bay and I really don't hear it in SoCal, which I am closer to now than NorCal. People have also used hella to mean "a lot of" ("there are hella baskets in here") but that might just be a Nevada thing since I heard it there a lot after they decided they had 'discovered' hella.

[Twinkle Toes]

OMG ... I am such a DORK!!!

Forget what I said earlier. It's like WAY more cool to say "Hellabunga" than it is to say "Hella Cowabunga"!!! From here on out ... the hybrid of the two is my new word!

[tstieber]

Originally Posted by Natural510

If you grew up in the Bay Area from the 1990s on, you heard "hella" all the time. Those who didn't are probably the ones who say they never hear it.

I was in college then, but I remember only hearing some people from LA saying it. I assumed it was an LA thing, but I suppose they were saying it to fit into the East Bay. Still, it wasn't all that common IMO.

[tstieber]

BTW, I believe it's a really short form of the more traditional American "helluva," as in we had a "hella" good time.

[luzianne]

I'm in Kansas and my kids said "hella" (especially "hella dank") about 10 years ago. Haven't heard it for a LONG time. Are you telling me Kansas was saying "hella" before California?