Living in Grand Marais, MI: what to set up and who to call
Grand Marais has no town government of its own, so Alger County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Burt Township School District. The nearest emergency room is Helen Newberry Joy Hospital, 30.9 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Grand Marais, 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 Grand Marais.
Power comes from Upper Michigan Energy Resources
Upper Michigan Energy Resources (Upper Michigan Energy Resources Corp.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Grand Marais. Its homes paid an average of 17.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $101 a month (its average across Michigan).
Start or move service: www.uppco.com · (800) 562-7680
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Burt Township water system
The Burt Township water system supplies Grand Marais: about 91% of residents live in its service area. About 9% 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 411 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 77% of the 15,074 systems serving 101–500 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. MI0002780.
2 home internet providers serve Grand Marais
100% of 435 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamadots Internet | Fiber | 100% | 500/50 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 10% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Grand Marais’ trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Grand Marais.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Grand Marais is in Burt Township 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
Grand Marais is unincorporated, so Alger County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Nov 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Grand Marais is in ZIP code 49839
ZIP codes where Grand Marais residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Grand Marais | ZIP’s residents in Grand Marais |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49839 | Grand Marais, MI | 100% | 63% |
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 Grand Marais
Who supplies Grand Marais’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Burt Township water system (EPA ID MI0002780). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 77% of systems its size had none.
Who provides electricity in Grand Marais?
Upper Michigan Energy Resources (Upper Michigan Energy Resources Corp.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 17.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Grand Marais?
Jamadots Internet, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Grand Marais?
49839. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Grand Marais in?
Burt Township School District.
How do I register to vote in Grand Marais?
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 Burt Township 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.