Series creator Paul Henning got the idea for the show while on a trip through the South in 1959, visiting Civil War sites with his mother-in-law. He wondered what it would be like to take someone from the rural South in the Civil War era and put them down in the middle of a modern, sophisticated community. Originally it was to have been set in New York, but because of cost considerations the setting was changed to Beverly Hills.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055662/trivia

could've been interesting.

What would the show have been called, The Hillbillies of Central Park? I don't think you could get a "catchier" name than The Beverly Hillbillies, derieved from The Hillbillies of Beverly Hills.
Its hard to envision working, but who knows, the ideas and concept may have gone in a completely different direction.

Had the show been set in New York the Clampetts would have likely lived in a penthouse apartment. It would have been much more difficult for Elly May to have such a large menagerie of critters there as she had in the Beverly Hills Mansion! And where would Granny have made her rhuematiz medicine or cooked lye soap? And Jed and Jethro wouldn't have been allowed to tote shotguns around NYC either! It would have been a very different show!

Series creator Paul Henning got the idea for the show while on a trip through the South in 1959, visiting Civil War sites with his mother-in-law. He wondered what it would be like to take someone from the rural South in the Civil War era and put them down in the middle of a modern, sophisticated community. Originally it was to have been set in New York, but because of cost considerations the setting was changed to Beverly Hills.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055662/trivia

Well, remember the Hillbillies DID go to NewYork for several episodes in one of the later seasons. I think the general premise could have worked but a lot of things would have had to have been changed as others have mentioned. Also I think the general public was more infatutated with California (ie "the California dream") than with New York so that worked out for the best.

In Californey, they filmed alot on location, I don't think they did in New York and Washington DC, where they were on a sound stage with images of they city behind them.

That is a good question. I think it would have been funny for a season or so as many of the things like making soap or hunting would have happened in Central Park. However, that could have only been kept up so long before the audience would have grown weary of suspending their belief that the Clampetts could continue to do such for so long in NYC. California was definitely the better setting.

What would the show have been called, The Hillbillies of Central Park? I don't think you could get a "catchier" name than The Beverly Hillbillies, derieved from The Hillbillies of Beverly Hills.
Its hard to envision working, but who knows, the ideas and concept may have gone in a completely different direction.
Yea and I think I herd that Paul wanted them to win the lottery, not strike oil.

I think they they would have had a MUCH harder time fitting in to NY, ppl in NY can be a lot more rude than ppl in CA.