# wrong side of the tracks

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/wrong-side-of-the-tracks
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

The part of town that is not inhabited by the wealthy. An area where the working class, poor or extremely poor live.

## Examples

- He grew up on the wrong side of the tracks.
- Rent is much cheaper on the wrong side of the tracks.
- Her parents were worried because the boy she liked lived on the wrong side of the tracks.
- The new housing project aims to improve public services for families living on the wrong side of the tracks.
- Despite his refined education, he never quite escaped the stigma of having been raised on the wrong side of the tracks.

## Origin

The phrase reflects the nineteenth-century urban planning of municipalities in which railway tracks served as the primary instrument of social segregation. The smoke and noise of the engines typically dictated that the affluent resided upwind, while those of lesser means were relegated to the opposite side of the line. The tracks functioned as a literal and economic boundary, ensuring that different classes of residents remained neatly partitioned by the passage of the train.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.