Real hillbillies cities today

Stereotype of some rural Americans

This article is about "hillbilly" as a slang term. For the historical subculture, see Mountain White.

Real hillbillies cities today

For different connotations, see Country (identity).

Hillbilly is a term for people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas in the United States, primarily in the Appalachian region and Ozarks. As people migrated out of the region during the Great Depression, the term spread northward and westward with them.

The usage of the term hillbilly as a descriptor receives mixed perceptions, often in part due to the nature in which it is used. It may be used in in-groups as a point of pride, while others consider its usage derogatory, especially when used as an insult.^[1]

The first known instances of "hillbilly" in print were in The Railroad Trainmen's Journal (vol.

ix, July 1892),^[2] an 1899 photograph of men and women in West Virginia labeled "Camp Hillbilly",^[3] and a 1900 New York Journal article cont