The story
Read it all →How Scotia came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Scotia.
Scotia was founded in the 1870s. A Scottish settler suggested the name Scotia, a literary name for Scotland.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Scotia
Scotia’s post office opened in 1873, and 55% of its homes were built before 1940
Its Register listing is the Scotia Chalk Building. Below: maps from 1899 on and the census since 1890.
1873first post office
1on the National Register
55%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How Scotia began
When was Scotia founded?
1873
The Scotia post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name.
First census: 418 in 18902020 census: 301153 years
Founding year: the first Scotia post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
What stands out about Scotia’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Scotia are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18993 editions of the USGS map, 1899 to 1985. Watch Scotia change.Old housesHalf of Scotia’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 559 in 1920; 301 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Scotia’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Scotia’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.On the map
Scotia on the map, 1899 to 1985
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Scotia. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1899Loup sheet · 1:125,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Scotia.
Timeline
Scotia, 1873 to 1920
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1873Post officeThe Scotia post office opens
- 1887
BuiltScotia Chalk Building is built - 1899
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 20th century
- 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 559
By decade
Scotia, decade by decade
Today1 recent
2017On the National Register
1 historic place in Scotia
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1979
Scotia Chalk Building
Buildings
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Scotia, census by census
Peaked at 559 in 1920; 301 people lived here in 2020.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Scotia’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Places now gone
Scotia’s post office has been open since 1873.
Gone or out of use
Scotia Normal and Business Universityschool
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Scotia’s history
What year was Scotia founded?
The Scotia post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What is on the National Register in Scotia?
One place: the Scotia Chalk Building (listed 1979).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
Sources
Where this page comes from
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.