Photo: Montanabw · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Columbus, MT: what to set up and who to call
Two school districts split the grades in Columbus: Columbus Elementary School District and Columbus High School District. Stillwater County Library, at 27 N 4th St, is the library in town.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Columbus, 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 Columbus.
Power comes from NorthWestern Energy
NorthWestern Energy (NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT)), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Columbus. Its homes paid an average of 14.4¢ per kWh in 2025, about $102 a month (its average across Montana, for customers on its standard service). Montana lets you buy power from another supplier; 0% of NorthWestern Energy’s home customers do, and NorthWestern Energy still delivers it.
Start or move service: northwesternenergy.com · (888) 467-2669
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Town of Columbus water system
The Town of Columbus water system supplies almost all of Columbus. It draws ground water and serves 1,900 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2024–Dec 2026, was 3.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 82% 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. MT0000185.
5 home internet providers serve Columbus
95% of 829 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 1% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 92% | 1,000/50 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 92% | 10/1 |
| Wisp West, Celerity Internet | Fixed wireless | 100% | 100/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 81% | 100/20 |
| Nemont | Fixed wireless | 3% | 10/1 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Columbus
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Columbus, from the town’s own site.
Solid Waste Site
200 Lagoon Road – East of Golf Course
- Wed11 am–6 pm
- Sat11 am–4 pm
- Sun11 am–4 pm
- Wed11 am–4 pm
- Sat11 am–4 pm
From townofcolumbus.com, the town’s official site, checked Oct 22, 2026; pages dated 2026. 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.
Columbus is in two districts that split the grades: Columbus Elementary School District and Columbus High 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 Jul 2019; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Columbus is in ZIP code 59019
ZIP codes where Columbus residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Columbus | ZIP’s residents in Columbus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59019 | Columbus, MT | 100% | 46% |
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 Columbus
Who supplies Columbus’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Town of Columbus water system (EPA ID MT0000185). 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 3.0 ppb (Jan 2024–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Columbus?
NorthWestern Energy (NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT)), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 14.4¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Columbus?
Spectrum, CenturyLink, Wisp West, Celerity Internet, T-Mobile, Nemont (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Columbus?
59019. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Columbus in?
Columbus Elementary School District and Columbus High School District.
How do I register to vote in Columbus?
Montana has no online registration; you can register in person up to and including Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before). Elections here are run by the Stillwater County Election Administrator. Check your registration at prodvoterportal.mt.gov.
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: Columbus’ own website (townofcolumbus.com), read Oct 22, 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.