Living in Big Falls, MN: what to set up and who to call
Power in Big Falls comes from North Star Electric Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company. The ER is a drive from Big Falls: the closest is Bigfork Valley Hospital, 30.8 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Big Falls, 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 Big Falls.
Power comes from North Star Electric Coop
North Star Electric Coop (North Star Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Big Falls.
Start or move service: northstarelectric.coop · (218) 634-2603
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Big Falls water system
The Big Falls water system supplies Big Falls: 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 and serves 192 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 77% of the 15,074 systems serving 101–500 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, was 3.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 81% 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. MN1360001.
4 home internet providers serve Big Falls
96% of 163 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 92% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Bunyan Communications | Fiber | 88% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Frontier | DSL | 58% | 45/3 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 79% | 25/3 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 74% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Big Falls’ trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Big Falls.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Big Falls is in Littlefork-Big Falls 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 Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Big Falls is in ZIP code 56627
ZIP codes where Big Falls residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Big Falls | ZIP’s residents in Big Falls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56627 | Big Falls, MN | 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 Big Falls
Who supplies Big Falls’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Big Falls water system (EPA ID MN1360001). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 77% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 3.0 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Big Falls?
North Star Electric Coop (North Star Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility.
What internet providers serve Big Falls?
Paul Bunyan Communications, Frontier, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Big Falls?
56627. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Big Falls in?
Littlefork-Big Falls School District.
How do I register to vote in Big Falls?
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 Koochiching 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.
- 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.