Photo: en:User:LymanSchool (Richard B. Johnson) · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Hardwick, MA: what to set up and who to call
Voting is local here: the Hardwick Town Clerk registers voters and runs elections, not the county. The nearest library is Paige Memorial Library, 0.9 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Hardwick, 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 Hardwick.
Power comes from National Grid
National Grid (Massachusetts Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Hardwick. Its homes paid an average of 33.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $164 a month (its average across Massachusetts, for customers on its standard service). Massachusetts lets you buy power from another supplier; 64% of National Grid’s home customers do, and National Grid still delivers it.
Start or move service: masselec.com · (972) 505-4700
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Gilbertville Water District
Gilbertville Water District supplies Hardwick: about 32% of residents live in its service area. Wheelwright Water District serves another 11%. Hardwick Center Water District serves another 9%. About 46% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water and serves 1,089 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 1.2 ppb. 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. MA1124001.
4 home internet providers serve Hardwick
97% of 1,092 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 1% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 97% | 2,000/250 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 11% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 5% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 3% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Hardwick
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Hardwick, from the town’s own site.
Hardwick Drop-off
- Sat8 am–noon
The town’s page also lists “Wed 9-11 am”, which we couldn’t read as opening hours: check the town’s page for those days.
Cost: Annual Sticker $60 for Hardwick residents, $95 non-residents; Day Pass $25
From hardwick-ma.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026. 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.
Hardwick is in Quabbin 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.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Hardwick spans 4 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Hardwick residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Hardwick | ZIP’s residents in Hardwick |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01031 | Gilbertville, MA | 53% | 100% |
| 01037 | Hardwick, MA | 26% | 100% |
| 01082 | Ware, MA | 19% | 5% |
| 01094 | Wheelwright, MA | 2% | 100% |
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 Hardwick
Who supplies Hardwick’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Gilbertville Water District (EPA ID MA1124001). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Hardwick?
National Grid (Massachusetts Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 33.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Hardwick?
Xfinity, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Hardwick?
01031 (53%), 01037 (26%), 01082 (19%), 01094 (2%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Hardwick in?
Quabbin School District.
How do I register to vote in Hardwick?
In Massachusetts you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 10 days before). Elections here are run by the Hardwick Town Clerk. Check your registration at sec.state.ma.us.
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: Hardwick’s own website (hardwick-ma.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.