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The Bear Park Township handbook

Living in Bear Park Township, MN: what to set up and who to call

Power in Bear Park Township comes from Wild Rice Electric Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company. Most of Bear Park Township has one wired internet choice: Garden Valley Technologies.

Which school will my kid attend?How do I register to vote?ZIP codes

I’m new in town

What to set up in Bear Park Township, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.

PowerWild Rice Electric Coopcooperative utility · 14.7¢/kWhMore →Internet2 providers87% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsMore →Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Bear Park Township’s trash rules yetMore →SchoolNorman County East School DistrictWhich school depends on grade and addressMore →Register to voteOnlineRules from vote.govMore →ZIP codes56540, 56545, 56516Where people live, not P.O. boxesMore →
Home services

Power, water and internet

Who to call to start service at a new address in Bear Park Township.

Electricity

Power comes from Wild Rice Electric Coop

Wild Rice Electric Coop (Wild Rice Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Bear Park Township. Its homes paid an average of 14.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $182 a month (its average across Minnesota).

Start or move service: wildriceelectric.com · (218) 935-2517

Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.

Internet

2 home internet providers serve Bear Park Township

87% of 81 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 87% can get fiber.

ProviderTechnologyAddressesFastest (Mbps)
Garden Valley TechnologiesFiber81%6,000/6,000
ARVIGDSL, Fiber16%1,000/500

FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.

Trash & recycling

We don’t have Bear Park Township’s trash rules yet

Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Bear Park Township.

Trash, recycling and bulk pickupNot on fileOpenStreetMap lists no public drop-off in Bear Park Township or within 5 miles (as of Oct 9, 2026); map coverage varies by town.
Schools

Where your child goes to school

Public school districts and the school path by grade.

Bear Park Township kids go to
PK–62 schoolsDepends on your address
7–122 schoolsDepends on your address

Most of Bear Park Township (50%) is in Norman County East School District; parts are in Fertile-Beltrami School District (50%).

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.

Government & voting

Town hall and registering to vote

Who to call, and how to register.

Town HallBudget, officials, electionsBear Park Township’s government in one page
Who runs elections hereNorman County CourthouseElections here are run by Norman County (county election office). 16 E 3rd Ave, PO Box 266, Ada, MN 56510-0266 · (218) 784-5471 · [email protected]FVAP, Jun 2025
Register to voteOnlineIn 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).vote.govCheck your registration and polling placemnvotes.sos.state.mn.usThe state’s voter lookup

Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

ZIP codes & area codes

Bear Park Township spans 3 ZIP codes

ZIP codes where Bear Park Township residents live, with the share of the town in each.

ZIPPost office nameShare of Bear Park TownshipZIP’s residents in Bear Park Township
56540Fertile, MN51%5%
56545Gary, MN25%7%
56516Bejou, MN24%16%

Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.

Everyday places

Getting around, the ER and the library

One line each; the subject pages have the rest.

Nearest emergency roomMahnomen Health Center12.9 miles awayGet a library cardLake Agassiz Regional LibraryNearest branch: Fertile Library, 101 S Mill St. · (218) 945-6137

ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.

Questions about living in Bear Park Township

Who provides electricity in Bear Park Township?

Wild Rice Electric Coop (Wild Rice Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 14.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).

What internet providers serve Bear Park Township?

Garden Valley Technologies, ARVIG (FCC, as of December 2025).

What ZIP codes are in Bear Park Township?

56540 (51%), 56545 (25%), 56516 (24%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

What school district is Bear Park Township in?

Norman County East School District. Parts of the city are in Fertile-Beltrami School District.

How do I register to vote in Bear Park 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 Norman County Courthouse. Check your registration at mnvotes.sos.state.mn.us.

Sources & dates

Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.

  • 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.