Oak Alley Plantation · Photo: RonPaul86 · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Hester, LA: what to set up and who to call
Hester has no town government of its own, so St. James Parish runs its elections and most services, and its children attend St. James Parish School District. St James Water District 2 reported one health-based violation to EPA in the last five years: a surface water treatment requirement (Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule), beginning Feb 2023.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Hester, 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 Hester.
Water comes from St James Water District 2
St James Water District 2 supplies Hester: about 17% of residents live in its service area. About 83% 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 7,513 people in all.
1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a surface water treatment requirement (Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule), beginning Feb 2023. 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. LA1093005.
4 home internet providers serve Hester
99% of 210 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| REV | Cable | 98% | 1,000/100 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless, DSL | 26% | 25/5 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 32% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 29% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Hester’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Hester.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Hester is in St. James Parish School District.
Test scores and every school: see 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
Hester is unincorporated, so St. James Parish is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Aug 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Hester spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Hester residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Hester | ZIP’s residents in Hester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70743 | Hester, LA | 82% | 100% |
| 70763 | Paulina, LA | 18% | 2% |
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 Hester
Who supplies Hester’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
St James Water District 2 (EPA ID LA1093005). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a surface water treatment requirement (Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule). 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
What internet providers serve Hester?
REV, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Hester?
70743 (82%), 70763 (18%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Hester in?
St. James Parish School District.
How do I register to vote in Hester?
In Louisiana you can register online until 20 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before). Elections here are run by the St James Parish Registrar of Voters. Check your registration at voterportal.sos.la.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.
- 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 Aug 3, 2026 (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.