The Meaning of One Tree Hill

The Meaning of One Tree Hill - Mountainous valley with evergreen forest against misty sky

One of my favourite television drama series is One Tree Hill, which was created by Mark Schwahn and premiered successfully on The WB Television Network for 9 seasons from 2003-2012.

Given my appreciation and profound ability to recall the story, I wonder about the original meaning and origin of the series' name, being One Tree Hill.

I am aware this is the name of the town or setting for the drama, it is that I wonder if there were also any additional reasons intended by Schwahn.



Best Answer

It's based on a U2 song that the creator likes and the address of the high school and also justified in a line in the actual show. From an Alloy article about the title:

For one, Tree Hill High's address is 1 Tree Hill; since it's the center of all the basketball, relationship, and time capsule/school shooting/Evil Dan intrigue, it makes sense. But the title didn't really make sense to fans, or even the CW producers, until episode 1×21 “The Leaving Song.”

Originally [creator] Mark Schwahn wanted to call the show An Unkindness of Ravens, but The CW (then The WB) didn't want to alienate fans with a show only about basketball. (Schwahn got some vindication when he had Lucas write a bestselling novel about his adolescence, titled An Unkindness of Ravens.) So Schwahn went to a favorite U2 song off their album The Joshua Tree. But after executives asked about the meaning of One Tree Hill, he inserted this line into [episode] 1×21:

Karen (to son Lucas): There is only one Tree Hill—and it's your home.




Pictures about "The Meaning of One Tree Hill"

The Meaning of One Tree Hill - Landscape Photography of Green Mountains
The Meaning of One Tree Hill - Blooming flowers growing on grassy field surrounded by hills and narrow road passing near rural house in sunbeam
The Meaning of One Tree Hill - Green meadow with trees on cloudy day



Why do they call it One Tree Hill?

The title of the show and the name of the fictional town where the series takes place are derived from the song "One Tree Hill", which is named after the landmark in New Zealand. Most of the show's episodes are titles of songs, bands or albums.

Is One Tree Hill a real place?

It might surprise some fans of One Tree Hill to learn that the town of Tree Hill is completely fictional, created and designed for the screen by the One Tree Hill production team and showrunners.

What happened to the tree on One Tree Hill?

The tree was felled six years after Mike Smith (Ng\u0101puhi, Ng\u0101ti Kahu) cut into its base with a chainsaw, and one year after an unknown person (or people) repeated Smith's act, presumably seeking to finish what he had started.

Who was Greg Carroll?

Greg began his career as soundman with Whanganui's Blonde Comedy at the dawn of the 1980s. In 1984 he was handpicked by U2, while on their first New Zealand tour, as Bono's personal stage assistant, and was famously broadcast around the world at Live Aid when he appeared next to Bono.



50 Facts About One Tree Hill




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Krivec Ales, Gareth Davies, Maria Orlova, eberhard grossgasteiger