Alturas California Map

About Alturas, California

Alturas is a locality in Modoc County, California, United States. It has a population of approximately 2,715. The population density is 369.6 people per km². Alturas is located at 41.4871°N, 120.5425°W. It observes the Pacific Time (America/Los_Angeles) timezone. Alturas is an incorporated locality. ZIP code: 96101.

Alturas occupies a high, expansive plateau where the North Fork Pit River carves a deliberate path through the sagebrush and volcanic earth. It lies 74.2 miles north of Susanville, CA (from Susanville, CA: bearing 4°T), and is situated 49.5 miles south-southwest of Lakeview. The air here carries a crisp, thin quality, cooling rapidly as the sun retreats behind the distant silhouette of the Cascade Range. To the east, the landscape opens into vast, arid plains, while the proximity of Duck Pond provides a singular, quiet gathering place for waterfowl amidst the dry expanse. Alturas Park serves as a central clearing where the light catches the tall, native grasses, casting long, sharp shadows that stretch across the open ground as evening settles over the high desert.

Agriculture and timber extraction have long defined the industry of Alturas, grounding the economy in the raw, stubborn productivity of the surrounding basin. The proximity of the Modoc National Forest suggests a history tied to the harvest of wood and the management of rugged, mountainous timberlands, while the nearby Daggert Canyon creates a natural boundary that has historically funneled travel and trade through the valley floor. Life in Alturas moves with the steady, unadorned pace of a place where the seasons dictate the rhythm of work, leaving the residents to contend with wide, open horizons and the silent, enduring influence of the volcanic soil.

About This Alturas Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Alturas, California. Coordinates: 41.487115, -120.542456. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service. Real-time local and world news feeds keep the page current.

Detailed location data for Alturas includes the ZIP code (96101), telephone area code (530), county seat of Modoc County (Alturas), and school district assignment (Modoc Joint Unified School District).

Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.