Photo: Jatakuck · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in St. James, MN: what to set up and who to call
St. James runs its own electric utility, City of St James. Public schools here are run by St. James Public School District.
I’m new in town
What to set up in St. James, 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 St. James.
Power comes from City of St James
City of St James (City of St James - (MN)), a municipal utility, serves all of St. James.
Start or move service: ci.stjames.mn.us · (507) 375-3241
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Saint James water system
The Saint James water system supplies almost all of St. James. It draws ground water and serves 4,611 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 2023–Dec 2025, was 3.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 80% 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. MN1830006.
8 home internet providers serve St. James
100% of 1,785 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 9% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mediacom Xtream | Cable, Fiber | 100% | 2,000/1,000 |
| Christensen Communications Company | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 96% | 30/3 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 65% | 40/3 |
| Midco | Fixed wireless | 100% | 100/20 |
| GigFire | Fixed wireless | 90% | 150/130 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 24% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
In St. James, you hire your own trash hauler
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in St. James, from the town’s own site.
Meadowlark Compost site
33890 733rd Avenue
We couldn’t find pickup days or drop-off hours. Check ci.stjames.mn.us →
From ci.stjames.mn.us, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2026-09-27. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
St. James is in St. James Public School District.
C+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 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
St. James is in ZIP code 56081
ZIP codes where St. James residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of St. James | ZIP’s residents in St. James |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56081 | Saint James, MN | 100% | 78% |
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 St. James
Who supplies St. James’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Saint James water system (EPA ID MN1830006). 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 3.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in St. James?
City of St James (City of St James - (MN)), a municipal utility.
What internet providers serve St. James?
Mediacom Xtream, Christensen Communications Company, CenturyLink, Midco, GigFire, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in St. James?
56081. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is St. James in?
St. James Public School District.
How do I register to vote in St. James?
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 Watonwan 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: St. James’ own website (ci.stjames.mn.us), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- 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.