Modoc County, California

Modoc County is a county in California, United States, about 115 miles west-southwest of
Redding, in the state’s far northeastern corner. It had a population of 8,700 at the 2020
census, down from 9,686 in 2010, and covers 3,918 square miles (10,150 km2) of land centred near
41°36′N 120°43′W.

Alturas is the county seat and the county’s only incorporated city; its postal code is 96101.
The county holds 1 city, no other incorporated towns and 14 smaller unincorporated communities,
and it runs on Pacific Time. Its FIPS code is 06049.

Towns & Villages in Modoc County

Modoc County has 15 named places on record: Alturas, its lone incorporated city, plus 12
census-designated places and 2 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own.
CDP stands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and small settlements with
no formal boundary. California has no civil townships, so this table omits that column.

New Pine Creek straddles the California-Oregon line, and a 19th-century surveying error placed
the actual boundary about half a mile south of the statutory 42nd-parallel border — part of
the community sits in Modoc County, the rest in Oregon. Lake City and Cedarville once served as
county seat before Alturas took over; Davis Creek and Tionesta have no incorporated status and
no reported 2020 population figure of their own.

ZIP Codes

• 96101 — Alturas (also covers California Pines)
• 96104 — Cedarville
• 96112 — Fort Bidwell
• 96015 — Canby
• 96054 — Lookout
• 96116 — Likely
• 96110 — Eagleville
• 96108 — Davis Creek
• 96134 — Tionesta

Adin, Newell, Daphnedale Park, New Pine Creek and Lake City have no separately confirmed ZIP
of their own on record; mail to these small communities is generally routed through the nearest
post office town above.

Geography

Modoc County sits on the Modoc Plateau, a high volcanic tableland in California’s far
northeastern corner, with the Warner Mountains running north-south through the county’s eastern
half and Surprise Valley below their eastern face. Of the county’s roughly 4,200 square miles,
3,918 are land and 286 are water, about 6.8 percent — unusually high for the region, driven
by Goose Lake on the Oregon border and Upper and Middle Alkali Lakes in Surprise Valley. The
South Fork Pit River drains the county’s western side toward the Sacramento River system.

Klamath County and Lake County, Oregon, lie to the north; Washoe County, Nevada, lies to the
east; Lassen County lies to the south;
Shasta County lies to the southwest; and
Siskiyou County lies to the west.

Demographics

Modoc County had a population of 8,700 at the 2020 census, continuing a long decline from
9,686 in 2010, and the most recent estimate puts the county near 8,426 residents —
California’s third-least populous county. Alturas and California Pines are the two largest
communities. Median household income has historically ranked among the lowest of any county in
California, well under the state’s 2023 figure of $95,521 (2023 ACS). Population density works
out to roughly 2.2 people per square mile of land, among the lowest densities in the state.

Economy & Local Life

Government employment — county, state, federal and tribal — is the largest part of
Modoc County’s economy, since federal agencies manage most of the county’s land through the
Modoc National Forest and the Modoc National Wildlife Refuge. Cattle ranching and irrigated
alfalfa and grain farming dominate the private economy in Surprise Valley and around Alturas; the
county’s timber industry, once a major employer, largely collapsed in the early 1980s. Newell,
near the Oregon line, hosts migrant worker housing tied to the region’s agricultural harvests and
the Tulelake Municipal Airport. Cedarville holds the Last Frontier Fair each August, the county’s
biggest annual event, and Adin hosts the Golden State Star Party, a summer gathering of amateur
and professional astronomers drawn by the county’s dark, unpolluted night skies.

History

California’s legislature created Modoc County on February 17, 1874, naming it for the Modoc
people, whose homeland spanned the area around Tule Lake and the Lava Beds. The county was the
site of the Modoc War of 1872–73, in which a small band of Modoc fighters held off US Army
forces for months from the lava-rock stronghold now within Lava Beds National Monument, just
across the Siskiyou County line. During the Second World War, the Tule Lake War Relocation
Center near Newell became the largest of the ten camps used to incarcerate Japanese Americans,
holding more than 18,000 people at its peak and later serving as the segregation center for those
who answered “no” on the government’s loyalty questionnaire. Fort Bidwell, built in 1865
during fighting with the Snake and Northern Paiute peoples, remained an active military post until
1890 and today is designated California Historical Landmark No. 430.

Getting There

US Route 395 runs north-south through Alturas, connecting the county to Susanville and Reno to
the south; State Routes 139 and 299 provide the main east-west and northward links. No interstate
highway crosses Modoc County.

• Susanville — about 74 miles south
• Klamath Falls, Oregon — about 82 miles north
• Redding — about 115 miles southwest
• Reno, Nevada — about 140 miles south

Reno–Tahoe International Airport, roughly 140 miles south, is the nearest major commercial
airport; Tulelake Municipal Airport near Newell handles general aviation. Amtrak’s Coast Starlight
stops at Klamath Falls, Oregon, about 82 miles north, the nearest station to the county.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Modoc County located?
It sits in California’s far northeastern corner, on the Modoc Plateau, bordered by Klamath and
Lake counties in Oregon, Washoe County in Nevada, and Lassen, Shasta and Siskiyou counties in
California.

What is the population of Modoc County?
8,700 at the 2020 census, with a more recent estimate near 8,426 — California’s
third-least populous county.

How big is Modoc County?
3,918 square miles (10,150 km2) of land, plus about 286 square miles of water, mostly Goose Lake
and the Alkali Lakes.

What is the county seat of Modoc County?
Alturas is the county seat and the only incorporated city in Modoc County.

How many towns and villages are in Modoc County?
Fifteen named places: Alturas plus 12 census-designated places and 2 unincorporated
communities, none of them incorporated towns.

What ZIP codes does Modoc County use?
96101 for Alturas and California Pines, plus 96104, 96112, 96015, 96054, 96116, 96110, 96108
and 96134 for the county’s smaller communities.

What is Modoc County known for?
The Modoc War of 1872–73, fought partly within its borders, and the Tule Lake War Relocation
Center near Newell, the largest Japanese American internment camp of the Second World War.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in California.