Photo: Jss3255 · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Arcata, CA: what to set up and who to call
Most mail in Arcata goes to 95521 (98% of residents), one of 2 ZIP codes in town. Optimum and AT&T both wire most of Arcata; 27% of addresses can get fiber.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Arcata, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Arcata.
Power comes from PG&E
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Arcata. Its homes paid an average of 37.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $174 a month (its average across California, for customers on its standard service). California lets you buy power from another supplier; 66% of PG&E’s home customers do, and PG&E still delivers it.
Start or move service: pgecorp.com
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Humboldt Bay Mwd water system
The Humboldt Bay Mwd water system supplies Arcata: about 50% of residents live in its service area. About 50% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water and serves 680 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 5,327 systems serving 501–1,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, was 1.6 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 64% of similar systems’ latest results.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. CA1210013.
6 home internet providers serve Arcata
100% of 5,077 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 27% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optimum | Cable | 92% | 940/35 |
| AT&T | DSL, Fixed wireless | 50% | 25/3 |
| Vero Fiber | Fiber | 25% | 2,300/2,300 |
| 101Netlink | Fixed wireless | 100% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 59% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 12% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Arcata
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Arcata, from the town’s own site.
Hambro Recycling CRV Buyback Center
420 S G St, Arcata, CA 95521
Morris Logging/Wes Green
1500 Glendale Drive, Glendale
We couldn’t find pickup days or drop-off hours. Check cityofarcata.org →
From cityofarcata.org, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2026-09-27. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Arcata is in Northern Humboldt Union High School District; parts are in Arcata Elementary School District (47%) and Jacoby Creek Elementary School District (22%) and Pacific Union Elementary School District (18%) and Freshwater Elementary School District (6%) and Eureka City Unified School District (7-12) (6%).
A−School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jul 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Arcata spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Arcata residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Arcata | ZIP’s residents in Arcata |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95521 | Arcata, CA | 98% | 86% |
| 95524 | Bayside, CA | 2% | 21% |
95518 is P.O. box or single-organization ZIP with no homes.
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Arcata
Who supplies Arcata’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Humboldt Bay Mwd water system (EPA ID CA1210013). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.6 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Arcata?
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 37.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Arcata?
Optimum, AT&T, Vero Fiber, 101Netlink, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Arcata?
95521 (98%), 95524 (2%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Arcata in?
Northern Humboldt Union High School District. Parts of the city are in Arcata Elementary School District and Jacoby Creek Elementary School District and Pacific Union Elementary School District and Freshwater Elementary School District and Eureka City Unified School District (7-12).
How do I register to vote in Arcata?
In California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before). Elections here are run by the Humboldt County Office of Elections. Check your registration at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: Arcata’s own website (cityofarcata.org), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.