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Alturas

A city of 2,681 people in California
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Around town

The places and views that make it Alturas

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Outdoors in Alturas

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Map of Alturas: conserved land, trails and the top places to walk
Conserved land2%36 of 1,816 acres
Trails2.3 mi0.8 mi per sq mi
Parks & preserves413 conserved acres per 1,000 residents

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Catherine E. Gloster (Grizzly Bear, 1925)1925
From Alturas’s story

Catherine E. Gloster (Grizzly Bear, 1925), 1925

Photo · Wikimedia Commons

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Know Alturas

The town at a glance, and the guide to how things work

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About Alturas

City in California, United States
1901Established
2,715Population
2.8 sq miArea
4,370 ftElevation

Alturas (Spanish for "Heights"; Achumawi: Kasalektawi) is the only incorporated city in Modoc County, California, United States, of which it is also the county seat. Located in the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California, the city had a population of 2,715 at the 2020 census. Alturas is located at the confluence of the south and north forks of the Pit River, east of the center of Modoc County, at an elevation of 4,370 feet (1,330 m). Alturas is one of the largest cities in the region and a local economic hub.

Official town website ↗

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Town numbers

ZIP code96101
Area code530
Living in Alturas

Housing in Alturas

$180K▲ 3.9% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Alturas home is worth about $180,000, up 3.9% in a year, 76% below the California typical home.

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Alturas

D

Safety Grade D

Alturas reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 86% report less.

Violent crime per 1,000
Alturas 7.6
California 4.3
U.S. 3.3
Property crime per 1,000
Alturas 6.4
California 18.2
U.S. 15.5
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Health in Alturas

C

Health Grade C

Healthier than 29% of U.S. towns on seven CDC estimates, and 45% of towns with similar incomes.

Compared with California

11worse than CA

of 32 measures CDC estimates. The other 21 are too close to call.

BetterToo close to callWorse

What stands out

Care nearby

Modoc Medical CenterAlturas · 0.2 mi · ER · rural critical access
Big Valley Medical CenterBieber · 38.9 mi · sliding-scale fees
Primary careShortage · county-wide
DentalNo shortage
Mental healthShortage · county-wide
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CDC's estimate for Alturas · CMS · HRSAHealth in Alturas →

Schools in Alturas

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C

School Grade C

The public schools Alturas’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 73% of California’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.

See how Alturas’s schools compare in CA →
DistrictModoc Joint UnifiedSchools7

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within CA. Ratings are from neighbors.

Famous people from Alturas

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Where Alturas is

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Locator map of Alturas
Wikimedia Commons · Map: Arkyan · CC BY-SA 3.0

Location map

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Alturas

California · CA
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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01