Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0Living in New Buffalo, MI: what to set up and who to call
In New Buffalo, trash day is Wednesday. Power in New Buffalo comes from Midwest Energy Cooperative, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in New Buffalo, 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 New Buffalo.
Power comes from Midwest Energy Cooperative
Midwest Energy Cooperative (Midwest Energy Cooperative - (MI)), a cooperative utility, serves all of New Buffalo. Its homes paid an average of 19.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $189 a month (its average across Michigan).
Start or move service: www.teammidwest.com · (800) 492-5989
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from New Buffalo Township water system
The New Buffalo Township water system supplies New Buffalo: about 92% of residents live in its service area. About 8% 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 Michigan City Department of Water Works and Chikaming Township and Grand Beach and New Buffalo as sellers) and serves 2,845 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2020–Dec 2022, was 2.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 69% 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. MI0004685.
4 home internet providers serve New Buffalo
100% of 1,283 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 99% | 1,200/35 |
| AT&T | DSL, Fixed wireless | 11% | 25/5 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 78% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 71% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in New Buffalo is Wednesday
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in New Buffalo, from the town’s own site.
This month
- TrashEvery week
Accepted at the curb
- Newspapers and inserts
- Paperboard, cardboard, corrugated paper
- Clear, brown and green glass
- Aluminum, steel and tin cans
- Lids and foils
From cityofnewbuffalomi.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 22, 2026; pages dated 2024-11-15T18:33:16+00:00, 2026, 2026-01-06T15:31:31+00:00. 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.
New Buffalo is in New Buffalo Area School District.
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.
New Buffalo is in ZIP code 49117
ZIP codes where New Buffalo residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of New Buffalo | ZIP’s residents in New Buffalo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49117 | New Buffalo, 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.
Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in New Buffalo
Who supplies New Buffalo’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The New Buffalo Township water system (EPA ID MI0004685). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.0 ppb (Jan 2020–Dec 2022), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in New Buffalo?
Midwest Energy Cooperative (Midwest Energy Cooperative - (MI)), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 19.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve New Buffalo?
Xfinity, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in New Buffalo?
49117. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is New Buffalo in?
New Buffalo Area School District.
How do I register to vote in New Buffalo?
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 New Buffalo 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: New Buffalo’s own website (cityofnewbuffalomi.gov), read Oct 22, 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.