Miley Stewart is an ordinary girl who lives a double-life as successful pop sensation Hannah Montana. She tries to keep it a secret so that she can live a normal life. She lives with her brother, Jackson (Jason Earles), and her father, Robbie Ray (Billy Ray Cyrus), who is also her manager and producer, and was a country singer at one time. Miley's mother died when she was young. Roxy (Frances Callier) is Hannah Montana's bodyguard who protects Miley, Jackson, and Robbie Ray, even when they don't want her to.
Miley is originally from Tennessee. It is unclear when exactly she moved to California, but it is known that she has been living in Malibu at least since she was in the 6th grade.
When Miley first arrives to Seaview Middle School she meets her best friends Lilly Truscott (Emily Osment) and Oliver Oken (Mitchel Musso), who eventually figure out her secret. In season 2 she is a high school freshman (9th grade). Due to her double life, Miley is often involved in awkward situations, but even in her normal life as Miley, she makes the same mistakes anyone would. Her problems continue when she moves on to the same high school her brother attends.
Miley's enemies are Amber Addison (Shanica Knowles) and Ashley Dewitt (Anna Maria Perez de Tagle), who are constantly mean to her and her friends, but happen to love Hannah Montana. Later she gets used to her school and meets a cute famous teen actor named Jake Ryan.
In the episode New Kid in School, Jake Ryan, (Cody Linley), moves to her school. At first she is jealous of him because of all of the special attention he gets; she finally realizes her feelings for him after Jake told her (as Hannah) that he can't stop thinking of Miley. In the episode People Who Use People, Miley starts going out with Jake, but then he has to fly to Romania for four months to shoot a movie. He came back in the episode Achy Jakey Heart, Part 1 and Achy Jakey Heart, Part 2, where they became a couple, but broke up and remained close friends.
Miley has a signature phrase that she is known for saying whenever someone states the obvious: "Ya think?!". The character's comical persona is also known for being extremely deadpan.