Only when they are mocking Californians.

No, thankfully.

Yes. People who have moved from California to other areas use it for a short time until they realize that no one else does. My cousin was this way. Other than that, no.

I have heard this expression used in Arizona, Oregon, Ohio, Massachussetts, Vermont and New Hampshire by people who I am positive have never been to California. It is most certainly an attempt to emulate the culture there.

Heck, a lot of people IN California don't even say it. It's used mostly by people in northern California. Southern Cal and northern Cal are two different places, with different cultures and mind-sets.

yea... shoreline, WA... sad isnt it? all the skater people. meh.

Not in Australia. What does it mean?

yes, refer to "south park"! --------------------------- "stop saying, 'hella'! damn it cartman!" "you guys are hella stupid. you guys are hella lame. hella, hella, hella..."

My roommate from Seattle says it so much I started saying it- sans irony. People at my school in Europe from all over say it.

Yes, in northern Illinois. Teenagers say it all the time.

i'm massachusetts some people do they got it from the song called, "hella nervous"

in massachusetts**

These people use it everywhere! http://www.autoanything.com/lights/69A1325A0A0.aspx?kc=YM279

Hella may refer to: Hella, a town in Iceland Hella in Radøy municipality, Hordaland, Norway Hella in Leikanger municipality, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway Helle, also Hella, in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway Hella in Tromsø municipality, Troms, Norway 1370 Hella, an asteroid Hella (band), a United States math rock band Hella (company), a Lippstadt, Germany-based manufacturer of automobile lighting equipment Hella (word), a slang term associated primarily with Northern California and urban youth culture in the United States http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hella_%28disambiguation%29 A hell of a lot. "Mark Henry's Hella fat" -- Twista featuring Todd Nitty (Pray For Me) http://www.rapdict.org/Hella Hella. Originated from the streets of San Francisco in the Hunters Point neighborhood. It is commonly used in place of "really" or "very" when describing something. A multi-purpose word invented by people in north california, indigenous to the Bay Area. Adjective: To describe a lot of something or something good. Noun: A lot of Adverb: Suplemental, inferrs a great quantity or that you're doing something and DOING IT RIGHT! Interjection: An affirmation of what someone just said N.B. Generally used in Northern California. hella is to NorCal what wicked is to boston Term used to indicate personal superiority. When spoken in conversation, the receiving party immediatley knows that the person saying the word is of a high class because of that person's NorCal roots. Thusly, if the receiver is not of the same geography and stature, negative emotions arise from envy. A primary example is that of the frustrated SoCal dweller who is frequently subjected to the mighty and humbling presence of NorCalers. Alternatively, Hella can alert other prestigious NorCalers that they are dealing with a higher species much like themselves. An intensifier, with a grammatical function and usage similar to "very" or "really". It's a contraction of "hell of", and may have originated in Alameda County, California. It was definitely in common use in Berkeley public schools as far back as 1979. Derived from "hell of a lot". Similar to "very, really, a lot," etc. Used mostly in Northern California though has been heard in other parts of CA and even in the media such as an infamous "hella" South Park episode. (Cartman used it outside of its meaning to annoy Kyle.) http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hella

I lived in CA from 1959 to 2003 and I have never heard that before. I lived in the San Fernando Valley (was a valley girl unfortunately) on the beach in Malibu and in San Luis Obispo county. Never heard or seen it before. SO I guess you would know that I don't use it outside of CA either:-)

I do. Im in Georgia.

I am from the Show Me state, and my sons say it hella bad, LOL.

A lot of people do in Washington State. I've never heard anyone from anywhere else use it, not even California! I have a few friends from down there and they've never heard of the term until they moved up here.

yeah like Sweet T said. a lot of people say it in St. Louis.

NorCal baby yeaahhhh!!!

yeah, unfortunately it has spilled over into reno.+3

I'm from Arkansas and i've heard it several times out of the high school kids.

everyday...and im from nebraska.

Not sure but i have never heard that, i have known tons of people who say hella and are from lots of different states

I'm from California and I have never said hella and I don't know anyone who does. Sorry, I don't know what to tell you.

Are you talking about hella as in "that's hella cool" or replacing hello with hella. If it is the later, than they probably think it is weird because that is not how the word is properly pronounced and it sounds wrong to them. Similarly, I find it weird and somewhat irritating when someone says Warshington or sammich.

WHAT????

The only person I have ever heard say that is Eric Cartman.

I don't think it's weird, I think it's stupid. It's just about as annoying as other slang that has recently come out of California, like "cool beans."

I used to live in Western Australia. I moved to Victoria and when i moved here they all teased me because i would say HELLA alll the time. i have stopped it now, but when i talk to friends from over WA they all still say hella. it is liek the queensladers say AY at the end of everything here.