Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Interlaken

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
The Interlaken handbook

Living in Interlaken, CA: what to set up and who to call

Interlaken has no town government of its own, so Santa Cruz County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Pajaro Valley Joint Unified School District. Most homes in Interlaken have two wired internet choices, Spectrum and AT&T.

Interlaken has no town government. It’s a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, so the county and regional agencies provide most services. This page answers what we can; the same answers appear on Interlaken’s town page under “Getting set up”.

I’m new in town

What to set up in Interlaken, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.

Home services

Power, water and internet

Who to call to start service at a new address in Interlaken.

Electricity

Power comes from PG&E

PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Interlaken. 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.

Drinking water · reported to EPA

Water comes from City of Watsonville water system

The City of Watsonville water system supplies Interlaken: about 86% of residents live in its service area. About 14% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws surface water and serves 65,231 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.

Lead, 90th percentile1.2 ppb
015 ppb action level20

The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 1.2 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 2.1 ppb. That’s higher than 52% 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. CA4410011.

Internet

7 home internet providers serve Interlaken

97% of 1,663 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 42% can get fiber.

ProviderTechnologyAddressesFastest (Mbps)
SpectrumCable, Fiber90%1,000/35
AT&TDSL, Fiber, Fixed wireless76%5,000/5,000
RazzolinkFixed wireless100%500/250
Etheric NetworksFixed wireless91%250/100
CruzioFixed wireless88%1,000/1,000
T-MobileFixed wireless58%100/20

FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.

Trash & recycling

We don’t have Interlaken’s trash rules yet

Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Interlaken.

Trash, recycling and bulk pickupNot on fileInterlaken has no town government of its own, so look for trash and recycling rules on the county’s site.
Schools

Where your child goes to school

Public school districts and the school path by grade.

Interlaken kids go to
K–516 elementary schoolsDepends on your address
6–8Lakeview MiddlePajaro Valley Joint Unified School District
9–123 high schoolsDepends on your address

Interlaken is in Pajaro Valley Joint Unified School District.

CSchool gradeSee Schools →

U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.

Government & voting

No town hall: the county runs things

Interlaken is unincorporated, so Santa Cruz County is the local government.

Local governmentSanta Cruz CountyInterlaken is a census-designated place: no town hall of its ownCensus
Who runs elections hereSanta Cruz County Clerk - ElectionsElections here are run by Santa Cruz County (county election office). 701 Ocean St, Rm 310, Santa Cruz, CA 95060-4035 · (831) 454-2060 · [email protected]FVAP, Jul 2025
Register to voteOnlineIn 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).vote.govCheck your registration and polling placevoterstatus.sos.ca.govThe state’s voter lookup

Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jul 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

ZIP codes & area codes

Interlaken is in ZIP code 95076

ZIP codes where Interlaken residents live, with the share of the town in each.

ZIPPost office nameShare of InterlakenZIP’s residents in Interlaken
95076Watsonville, CA100%9%

Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.

Everyday places

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 Interlaken

Who supplies Interlaken’s drinking water, and has it had violations?

The City of Watsonville water system (EPA ID CA4410011). 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 1.2 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.

Who provides electricity in Interlaken?

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 Interlaken?

Spectrum, AT&T, Razzolink, Etheric Networks, Cruzio, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).

What ZIP codes are in Interlaken?

95076. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

What school district is Interlaken in?

Pajaro Valley Joint Unified School District.

How do I register to vote in Interlaken?

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 Santa Cruz County Clerk - 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: 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.