Living in Crest, CA: what to set up and who to call
Crest has no town government of its own, so San Diego County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Grossmont Union High School District. The closest public drop-off to Crest is Greenfield Recycling Center, 4 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Crest, 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 Crest.
Power comes from SDG&E
SDG&E (San Diego Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Crest. Its homes paid an average of 45.8¢ per kWh in 2025, about $168 a month (its average across California, for customers on its standard service). California lets you buy power from another supplier; 79% of SDG&E’s home customers do, and SDG&E still delivers it.
Start or move service: sempra.com
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Padre Dam Mwd water system
The Padre Dam Mwd water system supplies Crest: about 95% of residents live in its service area. About 4% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Helix Water District and San Diego County Water Authority as sellers) and serves 93,980 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 90% of the 597 systems serving 50,001–100,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 1.1 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 2.0 ppb. That’s lower than 50% 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. CA3710037.
4 home internet providers serve Crest
93% of 1,043 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 73% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T | Fiber, DSL, Fixed wireless | 85% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Cox Communications | Cable | 81% | 2,000/100 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 80% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 46% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 4 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Crest.
Greenfield Recycling Center
1235 Greenfield Drive, El Cajon, CA, 92021
This isn’t Crest’s own facility. Whether Crest residents may use it is the town’s rule: check the town’s office.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Crest is in two districts that split the grades: Grossmont Union High School District and Cajon Valley Union Elementary School District.
C+School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
No town hall: the county runs things
Crest is unincorporated, so San Diego County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Aug 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Crest spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Crest residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Crest | ZIP’s residents in Crest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 92021 | El Cajon, CA | 87% | 3% |
| 92019 | El Cajon, CA | 13% | 1% |
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 Crest
Who supplies Crest’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Padre Dam Mwd water system (EPA ID CA3710037). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 90% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.1 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Crest?
SDG&E (San Diego Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 45.8¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Crest?
AT&T, Cox Communications, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Crest?
92021 (87%), 92019 (13%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Crest in?
Grossmont Union High School District and Cajon Valley Union Elementary School District. Parts of the city are in Dehesa Elementary School District and Alpine Union Elementary School District.
How do I register to vote in Crest?
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 San Diego Registrar of Voters. 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: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- 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.