Scotia Map
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 and renamed 25 years later. 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. Scotia, however, was one of a relative handful of company towns to survive this period. Most of the existing homes were built between the 1920s and 1950s.
Nearby cities include Rio Dell, Redcrest, Ferndale, Loleta, Weott.