Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0Living in Ironwood, MI: what to set up and who to call
Tap water in Ironwood comes from the Ironwood water system, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 20% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result of 0.6 ppb. Power in Ironwood comes from Bayfield Electric Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Ironwood, 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 Ironwood.
Power comes from Bayfield Electric Coop
Bayfield Electric Coop (Bayfield Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Ironwood.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Ironwood water system
The Ironwood water system supplies almost all of Ironwood. It draws ground water and serves 5,387 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 2023–Dec 2025, was 0.6 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s lower than 61% 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. MI0003420.
5 home internet providers serve Ironwood
96% of 3,026 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 1% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 94% | 1,000/35 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless, DSL | 78% | 100/20 |
| Bug Tussel | Fixed wireless | 96% | 25/5 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 16% | 100/20 |
| Board of Trustees, Northern Michigan University | Fixed wireless | 8% | 25/5 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Republic Services picks up trash in Ironwood
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Ironwood, from the town’s own site.
We couldn’t find pickup days or drop-off hours. Check ironwoodmi.gov →
From ironwoodmi.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 23, 2026; pages dated 2026, © 2026. 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.
Ironwood is in Ironwood Area Schools.
B−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.
Ironwood is in ZIP code 49938
ZIP codes where Ironwood residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Ironwood | ZIP’s residents in Ironwood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49938 | Ironwood, MI | 100% | 69% |
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 Ironwood
Who supplies Ironwood’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Ironwood water system (EPA ID MI0003420). 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 0.6 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Ironwood?
Bayfield Electric Coop (Bayfield Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility.
What internet providers serve Ironwood?
Spectrum, AT&T, Bug Tussel, T-Mobile, Board of Trustees, Northern Michigan University (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Ironwood?
49938. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Ironwood in?
Ironwood Area Schools.
How do I register to vote in Ironwood?
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 Ironwood 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: Ironwood’s own website (ironwoodmi.gov), read Oct 23, 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.