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The Taconite handbook

Living in Taconite, MN: what to set up and who to call

Tap water in most of Taconite comes from the Taconite water system, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 22% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection. Paul Bunyan Communications and CenturyLink wire most of Taconite, and 97% of addresses can get fiber.

I’m new in town

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

Home services

Power, water and internet

Who to call to start service at a new address in Taconite.

Electricity

Power comes from Minnesota Power

Minnesota Power (ALLETE, Inc.), an investor-owned utility, serves 66.5% of Taconite 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.

Drinking water · reported to EPA

Water comes from Taconite water system

The Taconite water system supplies Taconite: about 52% of residents live in its service area. About 46% 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 644 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.

Lead, 90th percentile0.0 ppb
015 ppb action level20

The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.

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. MN1310028.

Internet

6 home internet providers serve Taconite

97% of 369 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 97% can get fiber.

ProviderTechnologyAddressesFastest (Mbps)
Paul Bunyan CommunicationsFiber97%1,000/1,000
CenturyLinkDSL66%60/5
Mediacom XtreamCable45%1,000/50
VerizonFixed wireless6%300/20
AT&TFixed wireless5%25/3
T-MobileFixed wireless2%25/3

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

Trash & recycling

We don’t have Taconite’s trash rules yet

Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Taconite.

Trash, recycling and bulk pickupNot on fileOpenStreetMap lists no public drop-off in Taconite 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.

Taconite kids go to
PK–4Vandyke Elementaryin Coleraine
5–8Greenway Middlein Coleraine
9–12Greenway Senior Highin Coleraine

Taconite is in Greenway 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.

Government & voting

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.

ZIP codes & area codes

Taconite spans 2 ZIP codes

ZIP codes where Taconite residents live, with the share of the town in each.

ZIPPost office nameShare of TaconiteZIP’s residents in Taconite
55709Bovey, MN54%8%
55786Taconite, MN46%100%
Area code218Wikidata

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.

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

Questions about living in Taconite

Who supplies Taconite’s drinking water, and has it had violations?

The Taconite water system (EPA ID MN1310028). 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 0.0 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.

Who provides electricity in Taconite?

Minnesota Power (ALLETE, Inc.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 15.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).

What internet providers serve Taconite?

Paul Bunyan Communications, CenturyLink, Mediacom Xtream, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).

What ZIP codes are in Taconite?

55709 (54%), 55786 (46%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

What school district is Taconite in?

Greenway Public School District.

How do I register to vote in Taconite?

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.