Today, Scotia's Town Center is the commercial hub of the community — a retail center that literally rose from the ashes. In 1992, the district was destroyed by fire when Humboldt County was struck by three earthquakes that also severely damaged homes and two sawmills.

The rebuilding effort was supervised by Lane Borges, a Sacramento-area architect who grew up in Scotia and attended college on a PALCO scholarship. Today, the revitalized shopping center supports a variety of local merchants, and plans are underway to attract more businesses and services in the coming years.