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US 76 East at NC 242 (29397363922)Photo: formulanone from Huntsville, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
The Cerro Gordo handbook

Living in Cerro Gordo, NC: what to set up and who to call

Tap water in Cerro Gordo comes from the Town of Cerro Gordo water system, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 23% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection. Power in Cerro Gordo comes from Brunswick Electric Member, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.

I’m new in town

What to set up in Cerro Gordo, 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 Cerro Gordo.

Electricity

Power comes from Brunswick Electric Member

Brunswick Electric Member (Brunswick Electric Member Corp), a cooperative utility, serves all of Cerro Gordo. Its homes paid an average of 13.3¢ per kWh in 2025, about $144 a month (its average across North Carolina).

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 Town of Cerro Gordo water system

The Town of Cerro Gordo water system supplies almost all of Cerro Gordo. It draws ground water (EPA lists Columbus Co Water Districts II, III, V as seller) and serves 246 people in all.

No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 77% of the 15,074 systems serving 101–500 people.

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

The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, 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. NC0424055.

Internet

4 home internet providers serve Cerro Gordo

100% of 136 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.

ProviderTechnologyAddressesFastest (Mbps)
Focus BroadbandFiber100%1,000/1,000
SpectrumFiber71%1,000/1,000
BrightspeedDSL, Fixed wireless7%40/3
AT&TFixed wireless18%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 Cerro Gordo’s trash rules yet

Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Cerro Gordo.

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

Cerro Gordo kids go to
PK–8West Columbus SchoolColumbus County Schools
9–124 high schoolsDepends on your address

Cerro Gordo is in Columbus County Schools.

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 May 2019; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

ZIP codes & area codes

Cerro Gordo is in ZIP code 28430

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

ZIPPost office nameShare of Cerro GordoZIP’s residents in Cerro Gordo
28430Cerro Gordo, NC100%9%
Area code910Wikidata

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 Cerro Gordo

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

The Town of Cerro Gordo water system (EPA ID NC0424055). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 77% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.

Who provides electricity in Cerro Gordo?

Brunswick Electric Member (Brunswick Electric Member Corp), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 13.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).

What internet providers serve Cerro Gordo?

Focus Broadband, Spectrum, Brightspeed, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).

What ZIP codes are in Cerro Gordo?

28430. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

What school district is Cerro Gordo in?

Columbus County Schools.

How do I register to vote in Cerro Gordo?

In North Carolina you can register online until 25 days before Election Day, in person with same-day registration during the early voting period, or by mail (postmarked 25 days before). Elections here are run by the Columbus County Board of Elections. Check your registration at vt.ncsbe.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: 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.