Scotia, California
| Scotia | |
|---|---|
| Census designated place | |
Main Street in Scotia
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 Scotia
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| Coordinates: 40°28′56″N 124°06′03″W / 40.48222°N 124.10083°WCoordinates: 40°28′56″N 124°06′03″W / 40.48222°N 124.10083°W | |
| Country |
 United States
|
| State |
 California
|
| County | Humboldt |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.842 sq mi (2.179 km2) |
| • Land | 0.746 sq mi (1.932 km2) |
| • Water | 0.096 sq mi (0.247 km2) 11.3% |
| Elevation | 194 ft (59 m) |
| Population (April 1, 2010) | |
| • Total | 850 |
| • Density | 1,000/sq mi (390/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 95565 |
| Area code | 707 |
| FIPS code | 06-70518 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 232715, 2611446 |
| Website | www |
| U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Scotia, California; U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Scotia, California | |
Scotia (formerly, Forestville) is a census-designated place in Humboldt County, California. It is located 8.5 miles (13.7 km) south-southeast of Fortuna, at an elevation of 194 feet (59 m). The ZIP Code is 95565. The population was 850 at the 2010 census.
Scotia is a company town which was previously wholly owned by the Pacific Lumber Company (PALCO). While it is home to approximately 800 past or present mill employees and their dependents, a process is underway to divide the homes into lots for sale. Located in northwestern California's Humboldt County, its partially wooded hillside near the Eel River is highlighted by the sheer size of mammoth lumber mill buildings located between the town and the river. Via U.S. Route 101, the town is 28 miles (45 km) south of Eureka, California and 244 miles (393 km) north of San Francisco.
Scotia was founded in 1863 as Forestville. It was renamed 25 years later because another community in California had a similar name. It is said that because it was populated by many residents who originated from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, the name Scotia was chosen by a coin toss, the alternative of course being Brunswick. At the time of its founding, Scotia was just one of many company towns across the Pacific Northwest, many of which closed down during the Great Depression. Early economic development started in 1883 when the Pacific Lumber Company started construction on a mill and housing. Scotia, however, was one of a relative handful of company towns to survive this period. Most of the existing houses were built between the 1920s and 1950s.
The first post office at Scotia opened in 1888. The Humboldt Bay and Eel River Railroad connected Scotia to Humboldt Bay in 1885. This railway became part of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway subsidiary San Francisco and Northwestern Railway in 1903 and was linked to the national rail network by completion of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad in 1914.
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