Where most Northeast LA open spaces feature oak or walnut woodland, Fiji Hill is instead characterized by some of the best examples of chaparral in all of Northeast Los Angeles. Chaparral species like Scrub Oak (Quercus berberidifolia), Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus betuloides), and Hollyleaf Redberry (Rhamnus ilicifolia) occur intermittently as singular individuals elsewhere. However, at Fiji Hill, they dominate the landscape, especially in the open space’s hollows and on the North-facing slopes of the hill. While once a continuous open space, it is now bifurcated by Townsend Avenue, which was constructed to increase commuter access between Highland Park and Eagle Rock.

Fiji Hill was named after Occidental College students in the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity (colloquially regarded as Fijis), who hosted regular activities in the open space (such as kegger parties) until the fraternity was discontinued at the campus in 1969. It was originally called ‘College Hill’ after a local real-estate developer donated the land to the college in 1910, shortly after the college moved to its current Eagle Rock campus from a small campus in Highland Park. Most students and Eagle Rock/Highland Park community members only recognize the open space as ‘Fiji’ or ‘Mt. Fiji’.

Fiji Hill is a beloved open space widely used by students and community members to escape the bustle of everyday life. The Trustees of Occidental College are planning to build faculty housing adjacent to Avenue 50 to attract new faculty but at the expense of the biodiversity and environmental quality of the open space.