Modoc County is located in the far northeast corner in California, bounded by the state of Oregon and Nevada. The 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 part of the County is federal reservations. Modoc County was formed in 1874 and derives its name from the Native American Modoc people, who lived at the Klamath River headwaters. The county has a total area of 4,203 mi², 94% of it is land and 6% of it is water. There are 2.25 persons per mi², making this one of the most sparsely populated counties in California.