Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0Living in Deer River, MN: what to set up and who to call
Every home in Deer River is in ZIP code 56636. Fiber reaches 100% of addresses in Deer River.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Deer River, 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 Deer River.
Power comes from Minnesota Power
Minnesota Power (ALLETE, Inc.), an investor-owned utility, serves 94.3% of Deer River residents. Its homes paid an average of 15.9¢ per kWh in 2025, about $107 a month (its average across Minnesota).
Start or move service: mnpower.com · (218) 722-2625
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Deer River water system
The Deer River water system supplies almost all of Deer River. It draws ground water and serves 942 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 5,327 systems serving 501–1,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, 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. MN1310007.
3 home internet providers serve Deer River
100% of 438 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Bunyan Communications | Fiber, DSL | 100% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 69% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 65% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Deer River’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Deer River.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Deer River is in Deer River 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 Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Deer River is in ZIP code 56636
ZIP codes where Deer River residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Deer River | ZIP’s residents in Deer River |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56636 | Deer River, MN | 100% | 18% |
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 Deer River
Who supplies Deer River’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Deer River water system (EPA ID MN1310007). 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 3.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Deer River?
Minnesota Power (ALLETE, Inc.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 15.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Deer River?
Paul Bunyan Communications, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Deer River?
56636. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Deer River in?
Deer River Public School District.
How do I register to vote in Deer River?
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 Itasca 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.