Photo: ShakataGaNai · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Ely, MN: what to set up and who to call
The Ely water system reported 3 health-based violations to EPA in the last five years: disinfection byproducts (HAA5) ×3. 78% of systems its size reported none. Ely runs its own electric utility, City of Ely.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Ely, 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 Ely.
Power comes from City of Ely
City of Ely (City of Ely - (MN)), a municipal utility, serves 92.9% of Ely residents.
Start or move service: ely.mn.us · (855) 884-1374
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Ely water system
The Ely water system supplies almost all of Ely. It draws surface water and serves 3,258 people in all.
3 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (HAA5) ×3, the latest beginning Oct 2024. 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2026, was 7.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 96% 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. MN1690014.
7 home internet providers serve Ely
99% of 1,906 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 98% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midco | Fiber, Cable | 99% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Frontier | Fiber, DSL | 80% | 7,000/7,000 |
| CTC | Fiber | 14% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Zito Media | Fiber | 5% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Treehouse Broadband | Fixed wireless | 100% | 1,000/1,000 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 69% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Ely’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Ely.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Ely is in Ely 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 Sep 2017; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ely is in ZIP code 55731
ZIP codes where Ely residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Ely | ZIP’s residents in Ely |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55731 | Ely, MN | 100% | 59% |
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 Ely
Who supplies Ely’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Ely water system (EPA ID MN1690014). It reported 3 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (HAA5) ×3. 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 7.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Ely?
City of Ely (City of Ely - (MN)), a municipal utility.
What internet providers serve Ely?
Midco, Frontier, CTC, Zito Media, Treehouse Broadband, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Ely?
55731. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Ely in?
Ely Public School District.
How do I register to vote in Ely?
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 St. Louis County Auditor. 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.