Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0Living in Harwich Center, MA: what to set up and who to call
Harwich Center has no town government of its own, so Barnstable County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Monomoy Regional School District. The closest public drop-off to Harwich Center is Chatham Transfer Station, 3 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Harwich Center, 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 Harwich Center.
Power comes from Eversource
Eversource (NSTAR Electric Co., doing business as Eversource), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Harwich Center. Its homes paid an average of 21.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $102 a month (its average across Massachusetts, for customers on its standard service). Massachusetts lets you buy power from another supplier; 76% of Eversource’s home customers do, and Eversource still delivers it.
Start or move service: nstar.com · (800) 592-2000
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Harwich Water Department
Harwich Water Department supplies almost all of Harwich Center. It draws ground water and serves 39,144 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. MA4126000.
4 home internet providers serve Harwich Center
100% of 1,156 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 74% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 29% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 7% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 3 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Harwich Center.
Chatham Transfer Station
97 Sam Ryder Road, 02633 · run by Town of Chatham
This isn’t Harwich Center’s own facility. Whether Harwich Center residents may use it is the town’s rule: check the town’s office.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Harwich Center is in Monomoy Region 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
Harwich Center is unincorporated, so Barnstable County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Harwich Center spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Harwich Center residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Harwich Center | ZIP’s residents in Harwich Center |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02645 | Harwich, MA | 94% | 18% |
| 02646 | Harwich Port, MA | 6% | 6% |
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 Harwich Center
Who supplies Harwich Center’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Harwich Water Department (EPA ID MA4126000). 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 Harwich Center?
Eversource (NSTAR Electric Co., doing business as Eversource), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 21.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Harwich Center?
Xfinity, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Harwich Center?
02645 (94%), 02646 (6%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Harwich Center in?
Monomoy Region School District.
How do I register to vote in Harwich Center?
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 Harwich 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: 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.