Alturas, California | |
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.jpg)   _(cropped).jpg) Top:Nevada-California-Oregon Railway Building (left),Modoc County Courthouse (right); bottom: Sacred Heart Church (left), Niles Theater (right) | |
 Seal | |
| Motto: "Where the West Still Lives"[1] | |
 Location within Modoc County and California | |
  Alturas Location within theUnited States | |
| Coordinates:41°29′14″N120°32′33″W / 41.48722°N 120.54250°W /41.48722; -120.54250 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Modoc |
| Incorporated | September 16, 1901[2] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Paul Minchella[3] |
| Area | |
• Total | 2.85 sq mi (7.39 km2) |
| • Land | 2.84 sq mi (7.35 km2) |
| • Water | 0.019 sq mi (0.05 km2) 0.57% |
| Elevation | 4,370 ft (1,330 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 2,715 |
| • Density | 957/sq mi (369/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-08:00 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-07:00 (PDT) |
| ZIP code[6] | 96101 |
| Area code | 530, 837 |
| FIPS code | 06-01444 |
| GNIS ID | 277469,2409688 |
| Website | www |
Alturas (Spanish for "Heights";Achumawi:Kasalektawi)[7] is the only incorporated city inModoc County, California of which it is also thecounty seat. Located in theShasta Cascade region ofNorthern California, the city had a population of 2,715 at the2020 census. Alturas is located at the confluence of the south and north forks of thePit River, east of the center of Modoc County,[7] at an elevation of 4,370 feet (1,330 m).[5] Alturas is one of the largest cities in the region and a local economic hub.
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Alturas occupies what was initially anAchumawi (Pit River) village known as Kosealekte[8] or Kasalektawi.[9] The city was initially known asDorris Bridge orDorris' Bridge, named after Pressley and James Dorris, who built a bridge across the Pit River at this location.[7]
The Dorris Bridge post office opened in 1871.[7] The town was renamedDorrisville in 1874[10] and Alturas in 1876, the latter meaning "heights" in Spanish.[11] The census of 1880 showed a population of 148. However, settlement continued over the next two decades, until the city wasincorporated on September 16, 1901. Because of its central location, Dorrisville became the county seat whenModoc County formed in 1874, even though bothAdin andCedarville were then larger towns.[10]
Alturas straddles the North Fork of thePit River, near its confluence with the South Fork in the north end of South Fork Valley, in the extreme northeastern corner of California at41°29′14″N120°32′33″W / 41.48722°N 120.54250°W /41.48722; -120.54250.[5] The tallWarner Mountains lie to the east, thewetlands andwild rice fields of South Fork Valley to the south, and the extensiveModoc Plateau to the north.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.9 square miles (7.4 km2) and 0.63% of it is covered by water.
The climate in Alturas is coldsemi-arid (Köppen:BSk), borderinghumid continental (Dsb). The average January temperatures are a high of 43.0 °F (6.1 °C) and a low of 20.6 °F (−6.3 °C). The average July temperatures are a high of 89.1 °F (31.7 °C) and a low of 47.2 °F (8.4 °C). There are an average of 39.8 days with highs of 90 °F (32.2 °C) or higher and an average of 195.5 days with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. The record high was 107 °F (41.7 °C) on July 19, 1960, and July 10–11, 2002, and the record low was −34 °F (−36.7 °C) on December 9, 1972. Freezing temperatures have occurred in every month of the year; cool nights are common even on the hottest summer days.
Precipitation averages 11.68 inches (297 mm) annually. There are an average of 90.8 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 1952 with 20.80 in (528 mm) and the driest year was 2013 with 6.29 in (160 mm). The most precipitation in one month was 6.17 in (156.7 mm) in October 1962, and the most in 24 hours was 3.51 in (89.2 mm) on December 11, 1937. Snowfall averages 30.9 in (78 cm) per season. The most snowfall in a season was 85.5 in (217 cm) in 1952.
| Climate data for Alturas, California (Alturas Municipal Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1935–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 69 (21) | 72 (22) | 82 (28) | 85 (29) | 95 (35) | 105 (41) | 107 (42) | 106 (41) | 106 (41) | 93 (34) | 82 (28) | 71 (22) | 107 (42) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 56.6 (13.7) | 60.4 (15.8) | 69.4 (20.8) | 76.5 (24.7) | 85.3 (29.6) | 93.2 (34.0) | 99.1 (37.3) | 98.0 (36.7) | 92.8 (33.8) | 82.1 (27.8) | 69.5 (20.8) | 55.2 (12.9) | 100.3 (37.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 43.0 (6.1) | 46.6 (8.1) | 52.7 (11.5) | 58.4 (14.7) | 67.9 (19.9) | 78.2 (25.7) | 89.1 (31.7) | 87.3 (30.7) | 79.7 (26.5) | 65.7 (18.7) | 50.8 (10.4) | 41.0 (5.0) | 63.4 (17.4) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 31.8 (−0.1) | 34.8 (1.6) | 39.6 (4.2) | 44.3 (6.8) | 52.5 (11.4) | 60.2 (15.7) | 68.2 (20.1) | 65.8 (18.8) | 58.5 (14.7) | 47.5 (8.6) | 37.7 (3.2) | 30.5 (−0.8) | 47.6 (8.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 20.6 (−6.3) | 23.0 (−5.0) | 26.5 (−3.1) | 30.1 (−1.1) | 37.2 (2.9) | 42.2 (5.7) | 47.2 (8.4) | 44.2 (6.8) | 37.2 (2.9) | 29.3 (−1.5) | 24.5 (−4.2) | 20.0 (−6.7) | 31.8 (−0.1) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −0.5 (−18.1) | 6.2 (−14.3) | 11.1 (−11.6) | 17.5 (−8.1) | 23.9 (−4.5) | 30.3 (−0.9) | 36.4 (2.4) | 34.4 (1.3) | 26.0 (−3.3) | 15.5 (−9.2) | 5.9 (−14.5) | −0.6 (−18.1) | −7.1 (−21.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −32 (−36) | −33 (−36) | −7 (−22) | 7 (−14) | 14 (−10) | 21 (−6) | 28 (−2) | 26 (−3) | 15 (−9) | 0 (−18) | −17 (−27) | −34 (−37) | −34 (−37) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 1.31 (33) | 1.09 (28) | 1.38 (35) | 1.47 (37) | 1.26 (32) | 0.70 (18) | 0.29 (7.4) | 0.27 (6.9) | 0.35 (8.9) | 0.89 (23) | 1.20 (30) | 1.47 (37) | 11.68 (296.2) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 8.4 (21) | 6.2 (16) | 5.4 (14) | 2.9 (7.4) | 0.9 (2.3) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.3 (0.76) | 3.5 (8.9) | 6.6 (17) | 34.2 (87.36) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 4.4 (11) | 3.0 (7.6) | 2.6 (6.6) | 1.1 (2.8) | 0.4 (1.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.2 (0.51) | 1.6 (4.1) | 2.6 (6.6) | 5.6 (14) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 11.0 | 10.7 | 11.3 | 10.7 | 8.6 | 4.6 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 2.9 | 5.2 | 9.6 | 12.1 | 90.8 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 4.0 | 3.3 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 3.3 | 17.1 |
| Source 1: NOAA[12] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service (snow/snow days 1935–2018)[13] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 148 | — | |
| 1910 | 916 | — | |
| 1920 | 979 | 6.9% | |
| 1930 | 2,338 | 138.8% | |
| 1940 | 2,090 | −10.6% | |
| 1950 | 2,819 | 34.9% | |
| 1960 | 2,819 | 0.0% | |
| 1970 | 2,799 | −0.7% | |
| 1980 | 3,025 | 8.1% | |
| 1990 | 3,231 | 6.8% | |
| 2000 | 2,892 | −10.5% | |
| 2010 | 2,827 | −2.2% | |
| 2020 | 2,715 | −4.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[14] | |||
| Race(NH = Non-Hispanic) | 2020[15] | 2010[16] | 2000[17] | 1990[18] | 1980[19] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 73% (1,982) | 80.9% (2,286) | 80.2% (2,319) | 89.1% (2,879) | 94.1% (2,847) |
| Black alone (NH) | 1.1% (31) | 0.5% (14) | 0.2% (7) | 0.4% (13) | 0% (0) |
| American Indian alone (NH) | 3.2% (88) | 2.1% (59) | 3.6% (105) | 3.4% (109) | 0.6% (19) |
| Asian alone (NH) | 1.3% (36) | 1.4% (40) | 0.7% (21) | 0.5% (16) | 0.4% (12) |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0.3% (7) | 0.2% (7) | 0.1% (3) | ||
| Other race alone (NH) | 0.7% (18) | 0.1% (3) | 0.5% (15) | 0.1% (2) | 0% (0) |
| Multiracial (NH) | 5.1% (138) | 2.5% (71) | 2.7% (78) | — | — |
| Hispanic/Latino (any race) | 15.3% (415) | 12.3% (347) | 11.9% (344) | 6.6% (212) | 4.9% (147) |
The2020 United States census reported that Alturas had a population of 2,715. The population density was 957.3 inhabitants per square mile (369.6/km2). The racial makeup of Alturas was 78.0%White, 1.1%African American, 4.1%Native American, 1.3%Asian, 0.3%Pacific Islander, 6.0% fromother races, and 9.3% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.3% of the population.
The census reported that 99.2% of the population lived in households, 0.3% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.6% were institutionalized.
There were 1,199 households, out of which 31.6% included children under the age of 18, 35.2% were married-couple households, 7.9% werecohabiting couple households, 35.0% had a female householder with no partner present, and 21.9% had a male householder with no partner present. 35.6% of households were one person, and 17.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.25. There were 702families (58.5% of all households).
The age distribution was 24.8% under the age of 18, 6.4% aged 18 to 24, 24.5% aged 25 to 44, 24.6% aged 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.5 males.
There were 1,393 housing units at an average density of 491.2 units per square mile (189.7 units/km2), of which 1,199 (86.1%) were occupied. Of these, 55.6% were owner-occupied, and 44.4% were occupied by renters.[20][21]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $54,634, and theper capita income was $31,725.[22]
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Alturas is the headquarters to theModoc National Forest, the Applegate Field Office of theBureau of Land Management, theModoc National Wildlife Refuge and other recreation areas, and is the trade center for the agricultural region, which produces beef, sheep, potatoes, alfalfa and lumber. Despite its abundance of wilderness, recreational opportunities, hunting and fishing resources, and natural environment, tourism is not a major sector of the local economy – largely due to the city's remote location.[citation needed]
Local, State, Federal, and Tribal governments are the largest employers in Alturas.[23] A vibrant timber industry collapsed in the early 1980s due to increased production costs and low market prices for softwood lumber.
TheModoc Joint Unified School District is headquartered in Alturas.[24]
TheAlturas Rancheria, a band of Pit River Indians, operates a small casino just outside the city limits.[25]
In theCalifornia State Legislature, Alturas is inthe 1st senatorial district, represented byRepublican Megan Dahle,[26] andthe 1st Assembly district, represented byRepublican Heather Hadwick.[27]
In theUnited States House of Representatives, Alturas is inCalifornia's 1st congressional district, represented byRepublican Doug LaMalfa.[28]
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Alturas is served byU.S. Route 395 andCalifornia State Route 299. U.S. 395 comes in from the south fromSusanville andReno. State Route 299 comes in from the west fromRedding. Both highways merge in Alturas and head out of the city as aconcurrency northeast towardLakeview, Oregon; andCedarville, respectively.
The Modoc Subdivision track of theUnion Pacific Railroad and theLake County Railroad (ofLake County, Oregon) serve the area.Alturas Municipal Airport is a public-use,general aviation facility located one nautical mile (1.2 mi; 1.9 km) west of the city's central business district.
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Municipalities and communities ofModoc County, California,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
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