Photo: JMBeggs'nCali · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Ridgecrest, CA: what to set up and who to call
Ridgecrest has its own drop-off, Golden Empire Salvage Recycling Center. For home internet, most of Ridgecrest can choose between Mediacom Xtream and Race Communications.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Ridgecrest, 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 Ridgecrest.
Power comes from Southern California Edison
Southern California Edison (Southern California Edison Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Ridgecrest. Its homes paid an average of 31.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $149 a month (its average across California, for customers on its standard service). California lets you buy power from another supplier; 30% of Southern California Edison’s home customers do, and Southern California Edison still delivers it.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Indian Wells Valley W.d. water system
The Indian Wells Valley W.d. water system supplies almost all of Ridgecrest. It draws ground water (EPA lists China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station and Searles Valley Minerals Operations Inc as sellers) and serves 41,580 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
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. CA1510017.
8 home internet providers serve Ridgecrest
100% of 10,973 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 83% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mediacom Xtream | Cable, Fiber | 100% | 2,000/1,000 |
| Race Communications | Fiber | 80% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Frontier | Fiber, DSL | 56% | 5,000/5,000 |
| SBC-Wireless | Fixed wireless | 96% | 100/100 |
| Iwvisp | Fixed wireless | 78% | 25/10 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 20% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Ridgecrest
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Ridgecrest, from the town’s own site.
Golden Empire Salvage Recycling Center
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
Accepted at the curb
- Paper and cardstock
- Cardboard
- Recyclable packaging
From ridgecrest-ca.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated January 1, 2022. 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.
Ridgecrest is in Sierra Sands Unified 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.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Sep 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ridgecrest is in ZIP code 93555
ZIP codes where Ridgecrest residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Ridgecrest | ZIP’s residents in Ridgecrest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 93555 | Ridgecrest, CA | 100% | 85% |
93556 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 Ridgecrest
Who supplies Ridgecrest’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Indian Wells Valley W.d. water system (EPA ID CA1510017). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Ridgecrest?
Southern California Edison (Southern California Edison Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 31.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Ridgecrest?
Mediacom Xtream, Race Communications, Frontier, SBC-Wireless, Iwvisp, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Ridgecrest?
93555. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Ridgecrest in?
Sierra Sands Unified School District.
How do I register to vote in Ridgecrest?
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 Kern County Clerk - Elections Office. 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: Ridgecrest’s own website (ridgecrest-ca.gov), 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.