You don't have to live in the South of the US to be one, you don't even have to live in the US at all for that matter, you can be a redneck anywhere on this world, f.i. in Holland, as long as you live in a rather rural area, collect licence-plates, like cheap beer and want a Chevy Blazer, if you like at least some country-music and if you aren't too rich, you have all right to call yourself a dutch redneck, which we do...;-) An US-redneck-friend of mine will even send me a confederative flag, LOL.
Being a redneck is not
necessary a bad thing, though it's used as an
offensive word.
My dad calls us "island-rednecks", as we live on a remote island, but I never found out, if this is a
compliment or an assault.