Living in Bancroft Township, MN: what to set up and who to call
Power in Bancroft Township comes from Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative, a cooperative utility rather than a private company. The closest ER is Mayo Clinic Health System - Albert Lea and Austin, 4.9 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Bancroft Township, 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 Bancroft Township.
Power comes from Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative
Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative (Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative), a cooperative utility, serves 97.5% of Bancroft Township residents. Its homes paid an average of 15.3¢ per kWh in 2025, about $136 a month (its average across Minnesota).
Start or move service: fmcs.coop · (507) 373-6421
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Albert Lea water system
The Albert Lea water system supplies Bancroft Township: about 25% of residents live in its service area. About 74% 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 18,492 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–Dec 2025, was 2.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 3.0 ppb. That’s higher than 65% 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. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. MN1240001.
11 home internet providers serve Bancroft Township
100% of 390 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 76% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midco | Fixed wireless, Cable | 100% | 100/20 |
| GigFire | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 100% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Winnebago Cooperative Telecom Association | Fiber | 35% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Manchester-Hartland Telephone Company | Fiber | 31% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Spectrum | Cable | 22% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Metronet | Fiber | 20% | 5,120/5,120 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Bancroft Township’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Bancroft Township.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Bancroft Township is in Albert Lea Public 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.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Sep 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Bancroft Township spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Bancroft Township residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Bancroft Township | ZIP’s residents in Bancroft Township |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56007 | Albert Lea, MN | 81% | 3% |
| 56016 | Clarks Grove, MN | 19% | 15% |
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 Bancroft Township
Who supplies Bancroft Township’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Albert Lea water system (EPA ID MN1240001). 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 2.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Bancroft Township?
Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative (Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 15.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Bancroft Township?
Midco, GigFire, Winnebago Cooperative Telecom Association, Manchester-Hartland Telephone Company, Spectrum, Metronet (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Bancroft Township?
56007 (81%), 56016 (19%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Bancroft Township in?
Albert Lea Public School District.
How do I register to vote in Bancroft Township?
In Minnesota you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 21 days before). Elections here are run by the Freeborn County Government Center. Check your registration at mnvotes.sos.state.mn.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 Nov 18, 2024 (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.