by Teresa » Jul 23, 2006 9:48 am
At one time residents of the Ozark uplift were referred to as 'us uns'--distinguishable from 'you uns'.
By the 1930s, and the beginnings of commercial Appalachian-American music, all residents of the midland uplifts were referred to as hillbillies. In contrast to 'flatlanders'-- the latter of which still exist and can't drive in hills worth powder to blast the wings off a horsefly.
In the 1960s, this terminology was upgraded to "Ozarker", with connotations of common sense, self reliance, man's last outpost against coastal craziness and so forth.
By the mid-1990s, with the coming of electric to Springfield, Missouri, (and its subsequent loss of John Ashcroft) the growth of Branson beyond Silver Dollar City, and the arrival of the Lawrence Welk troupe, Andy Williams, and Californians, suddenly the area went upscale, and hill natives began to be known as Ozarkians. A friend of mine (from North Dakota) writes a column entitled The Accidental Ozarkian.
As soon as the last gap in retirement condominiums along US 65 between Springfield and Branson is closed, residents of SW Missouri will become known as Ozarkopolians.
It is unlikely the natives will ever be known as Ozark-Americans, since most do not accept the sovereignity of the US federal government over their affairs (liquid or otherwise.)