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Here's the plain and simple story folks. I don't think you can call a county that is poor and impoverished a hillbilly county, especially since not all hillbillies are poor. You want hillbilly towns, go to Appalachia (Upstate New York, Western Pennsylvania, East Central and Southeastern Ohio, Western Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama). The other hillbilly region could be considered those residing in the Shawnee Forest region of Southern Illinois, or the Illinois Ozarks as they are called, and also South Central Missouri namely starting around Rolla and heading southwest to Springfield and south into the Northern 2/3 of Arkansas) The Ozarks and Appalachia are what make up the primary region of "hillbilly" country, and note that hillbillies are therefore not exclusive to the South, as they reside in a good chunk of Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Upstate New York. Hillbillies are not necessarily Southerners folks.
I agree.
The mainstream media paints hillbillies as southerners most of the time though. Rarely do you see a movie taking place in rural southern Appalachia without the mention of inbreeding or weird people.
It's so funny that in my home state of New York, the downstaters (NYC) think hillbillies reside only in the south. If they took a 2 hour trip north of the city, that would change their mind!
Of course, hillbilly areas are not automatically bad. I've seen far scarier places in the nations largest cities.
Here's the plain and simple story folks. I don't think you can call a county that is poor and impoverished a hillbilly county, especially since not all hillbillies are poor. You want hillbilly towns, go to Appalachia (Upstate New York, Western Pennsylvania, East Central and Southeastern Ohio, Western Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama). The other hillbilly region could be considered those residing in the Shawnee Forest region of Southern Illinois, or the Illinois Ozarks as they are called, and also South Central Missouri namely starting around Rolla and heading southwest to Springfield and south into the Northern 2/3 of Arkansas) The Ozarks and Appalachia are what make up the primary region of "hillbilly" country, and note that hillbillies are therefore not exclusive to the South, as they reside in a good chunk of Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Upstate New York. Hillbillies are not necessarily Southerners folks.
Agreed! I say that all the time. I think I've seen more hillbillies here in PA than when I traveled the south! I'm always joking that this is the appalachia of the north and city people that try to be country are 'Phillbillies'
I agree and continue to be dumbfounded at some of the southern and midwestern sterotypes, especially when upheld by the likes of people who don't have to look too far from their own neck of the woods here in the east. Much of central and western NY, especially the Catskills region, parts of central and western Massachusetts, eastern Connecticut, southern Rhode Island, many towns in Maine, NH, Pennsylvania....go out west and it's prominent within a 90 mile radius of cities like Portland and Seattle. I've seen it plenty firsthand in EVERY state and I've lived in many regions. It isn't any different where ever you go.
Great post!
When I travel and stop to eat in an unfamiliar town, especially if it's a small rural place, I do feel out of place and it feels like everyone is staring at me. This happens in every state I've visited.
I just realized when I went outside today,that's what happens to me right where I live! I guess the reason I'll never get used to people standing and gaping at me is where I grew up in NJ we didn't have that. Everyone pretty much went about their business.
So if you wanna go somewhere where they won't stare...
For the most part. -But there are in fact, many crime plagued, depressed small towns, not so much in Appalachia, though. But there are a many in other parts of the south, and across the rural west.
The mainstream media paints hillbillies as southerners most of the time though. Rarely do you see a movie taking place in rural southern Appalachia without the mention of inbreeding or weird people.
It's so funny that in my home state of New York, the downstaters (NYC) think hillbillies reside only in the south. If they took a 2 hour trip north of the city, that would change their mind!
Of course, hillbilly areas are not automatically bad. I've seen far scarier places in the nations largest cities.
And just how reliable is the media, the number one promotor of stereotypes? The media also painted all Southerners as being racist and inbreds, they've created just about all the stereotypes out there. The stereotypical hillbilly as portrayed by the media lives a completely different life from most Southerners, and the way they speak is actually quite different from the way most Southerners talk, different enough in my view to be separated from southern dialect all together. For example, most Ozarkians, while they pronounce some things similar to the south, also speak in ways that don't mirror the rest of the South or any other region in any type of form...the differences are such that the dialect really can't be grouped into a particular region. West Virginia is a lot like this. The stereotypical hillbilly also lives a completely different lifestyle from the stereotypical southerner. THe media likes to take certain things and group them together to make it all nice and neat, when the truth is that it's far from it. Hillbillies and Southerners, while they may share things in common, also have very noticeable differences. Many rural Upstate New Yorkers and rural people in Western and Central Pennsylvania live practically the same lifestyle as any stereotypical hillbilly. i've seen it...they own multiple dogs, have a lot of Machete hunting knives and a lot of guns, they are very politically conservative, and they live in the hills/mountains, and even dress like hillbillies from what I've seen. THat's about as hillbilly as it gets. A lot of hillbillies I've met don't have the stereotypical accent. If it's a duck but quacks differently from the stereotypical one because it was raised in a different region, is it still not a duck? Last time I checked, not every duck quacked the same.
I agree. I saw the hillbiliest about 45 miles from Seattle at the base of Mt Ranier.
Quote:
Originally Posted by unknown stuntman
I agree and continue to be dumbfounded at some of the southern and midwestern sterotypes, especially when upheld by the likes of people who don't have to look too far from their own neck of the woods here in the east. Much of central and western NY, especially the Catskills region, parts of central and western Massachusetts, eastern Connecticut, southern Rhode Island, many towns in Maine, NH, Pennsylvania....go out west and it's prominent within a 90 mile radius of cities like Portland and Seattle. I've seen it plenty firsthand in EVERY state and I've lived in many regions. It isn't any different where ever you go.
And just how reliable is the media, the number one promotor of stereotypes? The media also painted all Southerners as being racist and inbreds, they've created just about all the stereotypes out there. The stereotypical hillbilly as portrayed by the media lives a completely different life from most Southerners, and the way they speak is actually quite different from the way most Southerners talk, different enough in my view to be separated from southern dialect all together. For example, most Ozarkians, while they pronounce some things similar to the south, also speak in ways that don't mirror the rest of the South or any other region in any type of form...the differences are such that the dialect really can't be grouped into a particular region. West Virginia is a lot like this. The stereotypical hillbilly also lives a completely different lifestyle from the stereotypical southerner. THe media likes to take certain things and group them together to make it all nice and neat, when the truth is that it's far from it. Hillbillies and Southerners, while they may share things in common, also have very noticeable differences. Many rural Upstate New Yorkers and rural people in Western and Central Pennsylvania live practically the same lifestyle as any stereotypical hillbilly. i've seen it...they own multiple dogs, have a lot of Machete hunting knives and a lot of guns, they are very politically conservative, and they live in the hills/mountains, and even dress like hillbillies from what I've seen. THat's about as hillbilly as it gets. A lot of hillbillies I've met don't have the stereotypical accent. If it's a duck but quacks differently from the stereotypical one because it was raised in a different region, is it still not a duck? Last time I checked, not every duck quacked the same.
One thing I would say diferant, not all hillbillies are politically conservative (even if the majority are). Many are democrats an even vote that way, but they do tend to be very CULTURALY conservative at least.
This sure is confusing. Not that I'm naive enough to be gullible to Hollywood's stereotypes but through my own reading I understood that the definition of a hillbilly, loosely, was a person who lives in an isolated community in the mountains, the Ozarks and Appalachia to be specific. That Hollywood assigns them southern accents when not all of them are southerners is a bit bewildering, though.
But now someone mentioned Portland, Seattle and other states? Has the definition of a hillbilly been expanded? I know that years ago some of them left the Ozarks and Appalachians and did, in fact, travel up to Oregon and Washington so maybe they are true descendants and really are hillbillies. I find this fascinating!
But here's a funny thing. My husband, born and raised in small-town East Texas, considers himself a redneck, NOT white trash, mind you, there is a difference although the two can overlap at times but he also considers himself a hillbilly. I don't know if it's because he has some ancestors that came from Tennessee (like alot of Texans) or he just identifies with it.
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The media also painted all Southerners as being racist and inbreds, they've created just about all the stereotypes out there. The stereotypical hillbilly as portrayed by the media lives a completely different life from most Southerners, and the way they speak is actually quite different from the way most Southerners talk, different enough in my view to be separated from southern dialect all together. For example, most Ozarkians, while they pronounce some things similar to the south, also speak in ways that don't mirror the rest of the South or any other region in any type of form...the differences are such that the dialect really can't be grouped into a particular region. West Virginia is a lot like this. The stereotypical hillbilly also lives a completely different lifestyle from the stereotypical southerner. THe media likes to take certain things and group them together to make it all nice and neat, when the truth is that it's far from it. Hillbillies and Southerners, while they may share things in common, also have very noticeable differences. Many rural Upstate New Yorkers and rural people in Western and Central Pennsylvania live practically the same lifestyle as any stereotypical hillbilly. i've seen it...they own multiple dogs, have a lot of Machete hunting knives and a lot of guns, they are very politically conservative, and they live in the hills/mountains, and even dress like hillbillies from what I've seen. THat's about as hillbilly as it gets. A lot of hillbillies I've met don't have the stereotypical accent. If it's a duck but quacks differently from the stereotypical one because it was raised in a different region, is it still not a duck? Last time I checked, not every duck quacked the same.