Photo: Cohee · CC BY 3.0Living in Houston, MS: what to set up and who to call
Power in Houston comes from Natchez Trace Elec Power Assn, a cooperative utility rather than a private company. NT Spark and BCI Mississippi Broadband wire most of Houston, and 100% of addresses can get fiber.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Houston, 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 Houston.
Power comes from Natchez Trace Elec Power Assn
Natchez Trace Elec Power Assn (Natchez Trace Elec Power Assn), a cooperative utility, serves all of Houston. Its homes paid an average of 13.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $153 a month (its average across Mississippi).
Start or move service: ntepa.com
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Houston water system
The City of Houston water system supplies almost all of Houston. It draws ground water and serves 3,772 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 2022–Dec 2024, was 4.6 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 90% 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. MS0090005.
5 home internet providers serve Houston
100% of 1,668 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NT Spark | Fiber | 100% | 1,000/1,000 |
| BCI Mississippi Broadband | Cable, Fiber | 92% | 1,000/20 |
| AT&T | DSL, Fixed wireless, Fiber | 76% | 5,000/5,000 |
| C Spire | Fixed wireless | 100% | 100/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 74% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Houston’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Houston.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Houston is in Chickasaw County School District.
ASchool 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 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Houston is in ZIP code 38851
ZIP codes where Houston residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Houston | ZIP’s residents in Houston |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38851 | Houston, MS | 100% | 43% |
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 Houston
Who supplies Houston’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Houston water system (EPA ID MS0090005). 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 4.6 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Houston?
Natchez Trace Elec Power Assn (Natchez Trace Elec Power Assn), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 13.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Houston?
NT Spark, BCI Mississippi Broadband, AT&T, C Spire, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Houston?
38851. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Houston in?
Chickasaw County School District.
How do I register to vote in Houston?
Mississippi has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before). Elections here are run by the Chickasaw County Registrar. Check your registration at msegov.com.
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.