Living in Baxter, MN: what to set up and who to call
Tap water in Baxter comes from the Baxter 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 below detection. Power in Baxter comes from Crow Wing Cooperative Power & Light Comp, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Baxter, 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 Baxter.
Power comes from Crow Wing Cooperative Power & Light Comp
Crow Wing Cooperative Power & Light Comp (Crow Wing Cooperative Power & Light Comp), a cooperative utility, serves 94.4% of Baxter residents. Its homes paid an average of 14.3¢ per kWh in 2025, about $123 a month (its average across Minnesota).
Start or move service: cwpower.com · (844) 834-4461
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Baxter water system
The Baxter water system supplies Baxter: about 95% of residents live in its service area. About 5% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water (EPA lists Brainerd as seller) and serves 9,341 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 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 5.0 ppb. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
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. MN1180027.
6 home internet providers serve Baxter
99% of 3,014 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 71% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 92% | 1,000/35 |
| CTC | Fiber | 68% | 1,000/1,000 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 24% | 60/5 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 63% | 100/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 62% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 31% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Baxter’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Baxter.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Baxter is in Brainerd Public School District.
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 Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Baxter spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Baxter residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Baxter | ZIP’s residents in Baxter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56425 | Baxter, MN | 99% | 99% |
| 56401 | Brainerd, MN | 1% | 0% |
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 Baxter
Who supplies Baxter’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Baxter water system (EPA ID MN1180027). 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 0.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Baxter?
Crow Wing Cooperative Power & Light Comp (Crow Wing Cooperative Power & Light Comp), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 14.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Baxter?
Spectrum, CTC, CenturyLink, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Baxter?
56425 (99%), 56401 (1%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Baxter in?
Brainerd Public School District.
How do I register to vote in Baxter?
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 Crow Wing County Elections. 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.