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,[7] at an elevation of 4,370 feet (1,330 m).

Alturas occupies what was initially an Achumawi (Pit River) village known as Kosealekte[8] or Kasalektawi.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km2) and 0.57% of it is covered by water.

The climate in Alturas is cold semi-arid (Köppen: BSk), bordering humid continental (Dsb).

Freezing temperatures have occurred in every month of the year; cool nights are common even on the hottest summer days.

Alturas is the headquarters to the Modoc National Forest, the Applegate Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management, the Modoc 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.

[17] A vibrant timber industry collapsed in the early 1980s due to increased production costs and low market prices for softwood lumber.

The Modoc Joint Unified School District is headquartered in Alturas.

[18] The Alturas Rancheria, a band of Pit River Indians, operates a small casino just outside the city limits.

Both highways merge in Alturas and head out of the city as a concurrency northeast toward Lakeview, Oregon; and Cedarville, respectively.

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.