Photo: Cityofhoughton1 · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Houghton, MI: what to set up and who to call
The Houghton water system has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 5.5 ppb, was higher than 93% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15). Houghton has its own drop-off, Waste Management.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Houghton, 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 Houghton.
Power comes from Upper Michigan Energy Resources
Upper Michigan Energy Resources (Upper Michigan Energy Resources Corp.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Houghton. 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 Houghton water system
The Houghton water system supplies Houghton: about 97% of residents live in its service area. About 3% 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 8,386 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2025, was 5.5 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 9.4 ppb. That’s higher than 93% 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. MI0003230.
7 home internet providers serve Houghton
88% of 1,542 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 52% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 91% | 1,000/35 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless, DSL | 71% | 100/20 |
| Baraga Telephone Company | Fiber | 45% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Bug Tussel | Fixed wireless | 61% | 10/1 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 39% | 300/20 |
| Board of Trustees, Northern Michigan University | Fixed wireless | 11% | 25/5 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Waste Management picks up trash in Houghton
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Houghton, from the town’s own site.
Waste Management
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
From cityofhoughton.com, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2026-06-12, 2026-10-14. 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.
Most of Houghton (93%) is in Houghton-Portage Township Schools; parts are in Adams Township School District (6%).
A+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.
Houghton is in ZIP code 49931
ZIP codes where Houghton residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Houghton | ZIP’s residents in Houghton |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49931 | Houghton, MI | 100% | 81% |
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 Houghton
Who supplies Houghton’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Houghton water system (EPA ID MI0003230). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 5.5 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Houghton?
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 Houghton?
Spectrum, AT&T, Baraga Telephone Company, Bug Tussel, Verizon, Board of Trustees, Northern Michigan University (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Houghton?
49931. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Houghton in?
Houghton-Portage Township Schools. Parts of the city are in Adams Township School District.
How do I register to vote in Houghton?
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 Houghton 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: Houghton’s own website (cityofhoughton.com), 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 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.