Photo: jrmyers · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Charleston, IL: what to set up and who to call
The Charleston water system reported one health-based violation to EPA in the last five years: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), beginning Oct 2024. Charleston Carnegie Public Library, 0.6 miles away, is the closest library to Charleston.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Charleston, 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 Charleston.
Power comes from Ameren Illinois Company
Ameren Illinois Company (Ameren Illinois Company), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Charleston. Its homes paid an average of 16.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $148 a month (its average across Illinois, for customers on its standard service). Illinois lets you buy power from another supplier; 45% of Ameren Illinois Company’s home customers do, and Ameren Illinois Company still delivers it.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Charleston water system
The Charleston water system supplies almost all of Charleston. It draws surface water and serves 17,286 people in all.
1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), beginning Oct 2024. 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jul–Dec 2025, was 3.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 79% 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. IL0290100.
9 home internet providers serve Charleston
100% of 5,701 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 85% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mediacom Xtream | Cable, Fiber | 98% | 1,000/50 |
| Fidium Fiber | Fiber | 87% | 2,000/2,000 |
| Consolidated Communications | DSL | 4% | 500/75 |
| GigFire | Fixed wireless | 95% | 150/130 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 94% | 300/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 82% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Charleston’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Charleston.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Charleston is in Charleston Community Unit School District 1.
DSchool 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 Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Charleston is in ZIP code 61920
ZIP codes where Charleston residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Charleston | ZIP’s residents in Charleston |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61920 | Charleston, IL | 100% | 83% |
A few homes fall in 61938.
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 Charleston
Who supplies Charleston’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Charleston water system (EPA ID IL0290100). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions). 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 3.0 ppb (Jul–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Charleston?
Ameren Illinois Company (Ameren Illinois Company), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 16.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Charleston?
Mediacom Xtream, Fidium Fiber, Consolidated Communications, GigFire, Verizon, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Charleston?
61920. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Charleston in?
Charleston Community Unit School District 1.
How do I register to vote in Charleston?
In Illinois you can register online until 16 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 28 days before). Elections here are run by the Coles County Clerk. Check your registration at ova.elections.il.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 Sep 12, 2025 (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.