Modoc County is a located in the far northeast corner of California, bounded by the state of Oregon to the north and the state of Nevada to the east. As of 2000, its population was 9,449. The current county seat is Alturas, the county's only incorporated city. 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. The presence of several federal agencies, including the United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, forms a significant part of the economy and provide services to this rural area.

Modoc County itself was formed when Governor Newton Booth signed an Act of the California Legislature on February 17, 1874. Settlement of the county began in earnest in the 1870s, with the timber, gold, agriculture, and railroad industries bringing most of the settlers into the area.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,203 square miles of which, 3,944 square miles of it is land and 259 square miles of it (6.17%) is water. There are 2.25 persons per sq mile, making this one of the most sparsely populated counties in California.
The eastern edge of the county is dominated by the Warner Mountains. The Pit River originates in this mountain range. Hundreds of alpine lakes dot the range, all of which are fed by snow-melt and natural springs. East of the Warner Range is Surprise Valley and the western edge of the Great Basin.

County Website: http:// www.modoccounty.ca.us