Living in Dawson, MD: what to set up and who to call
Dawson has no town government of its own, so Allegany County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Allegany County Public Schools. Xfinity is the only wired internet provider that reaches most of Dawson.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Dawson, 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 Dawson.
Power comes from Potomac Edison
Potomac Edison (The Potomac Edison Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Dawson. Its homes paid an average of 15.4¢ per kWh in 2025, about $172 a month (its average across Maryland, for customers on its standard service). Maryland lets you buy power from another supplier; 2% of Potomac Edison’s home customers do, and Potomac Edison still delivers it.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Southern Region Allegany Distrib. System
Southern Region Allegany Distrib. System supplies Dawson: about 64% of residents live in its service area. About 36% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists City of Keyser as seller) and serves 865 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 5,327 systems serving 501–1,000 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. MD0010045.
3 home internet providers serve Dawson
98% of 46 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 98% | 1,200/35 |
| SkyPacket | Fixed wireless | 61% | 25/3 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 7% | 25/6 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Dawson’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Dawson.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Dawson is in Allegany County Public Schools.
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
Dawson is unincorporated, so Allegany County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Aug 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Mar 11, 2026.
Dawson is in ZIP code 21557
ZIP codes where Dawson residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Dawson | ZIP’s residents in Dawson |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21557 | Rawlings, MD | 100% | 5% |
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 Dawson
Who supplies Dawson’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Southern Region Allegany Distrib. System (EPA ID MD0010045). 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 Dawson?
Potomac Edison (The Potomac Edison Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 15.4¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Dawson?
Xfinity, SkyPacket, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Dawson?
21557. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Dawson in?
Allegany County Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in Dawson?
In Maryland you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before). Elections here are run by the Allegany County Board of Elections. Check your registration at voterservices.elections.maryland.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 Mar 11, 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.