Photo: Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States · CC BY 2.0Living in Alpena, MI: what to set up and who to call
For trash and recycling, Alpena has Green for Life (GFL) at 1298 US 23 North; OpenStreetMap lists it open Mon–Fri 8 am–4 pm. To register to vote, go to the Alpena City Clerk: Alpena runs its own elections.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Alpena, 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 Alpena.
Power comes from DTE
DTE (DTE Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Alpena. Its homes paid an average of 20.2¢ per kWh in 2025, about $126 a month (its average across Michigan, for customers on its standard service). Michigan lets you buy power from another supplier; 0% of DTE’s home customers do, and DTE still delivers it.
Start or move service: www.dteenergy.com · (800) 477-4747
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Alpena water system
The City of Alpena water system supplies almost all of Alpena. It draws surface water and serves 10,128 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 2023–Dec 2025, was 3.4 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 84% 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. MI0000160.
6 home internet providers serve Alpena
94% of 4,453 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 1% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 94% | 1,000/35 |
| Frontier | DSL | 64% | 10/1 |
| Ridge Tower Network | Fixed wireless | 96% | 250/250 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 86% | 25/3 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 58% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 15% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Green for Life (GFL) is open on weekdays
Where to take trash and recycling in Alpena, and where the rules are.
Green for Life (GFL)
1298 US 23 North, Alpena, MI, 49707
- Mon8 am–4 pm
- Tue8 am–4 pm
- Wed8 am–4 pm
- Thu8 am–4 pm
- Fri8 am–4 pm
Hours from OpenStreetMap, last updated Dec 2023. They can change with the season, so check gflenv.com before you go.
Drop-off hours: OpenStreetMap. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Alpena is in Alpena Public Schools.
C+School 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 Nov 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Alpena is in ZIP code 49707
ZIP codes where Alpena residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Alpena | ZIP’s residents in Alpena |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49707 | Alpena, MI | 100% | 46% |
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 Alpena
When is the Green for Life (GFL) open?
Mon–Fri 8 am–4 pm, according to OpenStreetMap (as of Oct 9, 2026). Check gflenv.com before you go: the town sets the hours and who may use it.
Who supplies Alpena’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Alpena water system (EPA ID MI0000160). 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 3.4 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Alpena?
DTE (DTE Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 20.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Alpena?
Spectrum, Frontier, Ridge Tower Network, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Alpena?
49707. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Alpena in?
Alpena Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in Alpena?
In Michigan you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before). Elections here are run by the Alpena City Clerk. Check your registration at mvic.sos.state.mi.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 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.