Modoc County is a county

County (United States)

In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...

 located in the far northeast corner of the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, bounded by the state of Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

 to the north and the state of Nevada

Nevada

Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

 to the east. As of the 2010 census, its population was 9,686, up from 9,449 at the 2000 census. The current county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 is Alturas

Alturas, California

Alturas is the county seat of Modoc County, California, United States. Alturas is located on the Pit River, east of the center of Modoc County, at an elevation of 4370 feet...

, the county's only incorporated city. Previous county seats include Lake City

Lake City, Modoc County, California

Lake City is a census-designated place in Modoc County, California. It is located north-northwest of Cedarville, at an elevation of 4626 feet . The population was 61 at the 2010 census....

 and Centerville

California Pines, California

California Pines is a census-designated place in Modoc County, California. It lies at an elevation of 4406 feet . The population was 520 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...

; the latter is now a ghost town. The county's official slogans include, "The last best place," and "Where the West still lives."

A large portion of Modoc County is federal land.