Photo: JaGa · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Santa Clara, CA: what to set up and who to call
Santa Clara runs its own electric utility, City of Santa Clara; its homes paid 17.9¢ per kWh in 2025. Santa Clara has its own drop-off, Danny Recycling Center, on 1745 Walsh Avenue.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Santa Clara, 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 Santa Clara.
Power comes from City of Santa Clara
City of Santa Clara (City of Santa Clara - (CA)), a municipal utility, serves all of Santa Clara. Its homes paid an average of 17.9¢ per kWh in 2025, about $71 a month (its average across California).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Santa Clara Valley Water District
Santa Clara Valley Water District supplies Santa Clara: 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 surface water (EPA lists San Francisco Regional Water System as seller) and serves 0 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 11,392 systems serving <=100 people.
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. CA4310027.
8 home internet providers serve Santa Clara
100% of 25,956 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 37% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 99% | 2,000/250 |
| AT&T | DSL, Fiber, Fixed wireless | 87% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Sail Internet | Fixed wireless, DSL | 42% | 1,000/200 |
| Etheric Networks | Fixed wireless | 93% | 250/100 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 84% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 71% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Santa Clara has its own drop-off: Danny Recycling Center
Where to take trash and recycling in Santa Clara, and where the rules are.
Danny Recycling Center
1745 Walsh Avenue, Santa Clara, CA, 95050
Before you go, check the rules on santaclaraca.gov.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026 (last edited May 2023). © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Santa Clara is in two districts that split the grades: Santa Clara Unified School District and Fremont Union High School District.
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 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Santa Clara spans 4 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Santa Clara residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Santa Clara | ZIP’s residents in Santa Clara |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95051 | Santa Clara, CA | 48% | 100% |
| 95050 | Santa Clara, CA | 30% | 99% |
| 95054 | Santa Clara, CA | 20% | 100% |
| 95053 | Santa Clara, CA | 2% | 100% |
A few homes fall in 95128, 95126. 95052, 95055, 95056 are P.O. box or single-organization ZIPs 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.
Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Santa Clara
Who supplies Santa Clara’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Santa Clara Valley Water District (EPA ID CA4310027). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none.
Who provides electricity in Santa Clara?
City of Santa Clara (City of Santa Clara - (CA)), a municipal utility. Its homes paid about 17.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Santa Clara?
Xfinity, AT&T, Sail Internet, Etheric Networks, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Santa Clara?
95051 (48%), 95050 (30%), 95054 (20%), 95053 (2%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Santa Clara in?
Santa Clara Unified School District and Fremont Union High School District. Parts of the city are in Campbell Union High School District and Cupertino Union Elementary School District and Campbell Union Elementary School District.
How do I register to vote in Santa Clara?
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 Clara 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.