Living in The Ranch, MN: what to set up and who to call
The Ranch has no town government of its own, so Mahnomen County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Mahnomen Public School District. Power in The Ranch comes from Wild Rice Electric Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in The Ranch, 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 The Ranch.
Power comes from Wild Rice Electric Coop
Wild Rice Electric Coop (Wild Rice Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of The Ranch. Its homes paid an average of 14.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $182 a month (its average across Minnesota).
Start or move service: wildriceelectric.com · (218) 935-2517
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Which providers serve The Ranch
This card will list the home internet providers the FCC’s National Broadband Map shows in The Ranch, the share of addresses that can get 100/20 Mbps and the share with fiber, with the map’s “as of” date.
Source to come: FCC Broadband Data Collection.
We don’t have The Ranch’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in The Ranch.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
The Ranch is in Mahnomen 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.
No town hall: the county runs things
The Ranch is unincorporated, so Mahnomen County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The Ranch is in ZIP code 56557
ZIP codes where The Ranch residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of The Ranch | ZIP’s residents in The Ranch |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56557 | Mahnomen, MN | 100% | 0% |
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 The Ranch
Who provides electricity in The Ranch?
Wild Rice Electric Coop (Wild Rice Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 14.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What ZIP codes are in The Ranch?
56557. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is The Ranch in?
Mahnomen Public School District.
How do I register to vote in The Ranch?
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 Mahnomen 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.
- 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): pending.