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Cliffside Public SchoolCliffside Public School · Photo: Upstateherd · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Cliffside handbook

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

Cliffside has no town government of its own, so Rutherford County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Rutherford County Schools. Power in Cliffside comes from Broad River Electric Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.

Cliffside has no town government. It’s a census-designated place in Rutherford County, so the county and regional agencies provide most services. This page answers what we can; the same answers appear on Cliffside’s town page under “Getting set up”.

I’m new in town

What to set up in Cliffside, 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 Cliffside.

Electricity

Power comes from Broad River Electric Coop

Broad River Electric Coop (Broad River Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Cliffside. Its homes paid an average of 16.6¢ per kWh in 2025, about $189 a month (its average across North Carolina).

Start or move service: www.broadriverelectric.com · (864) 489-5737

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 Broad River Water Authority

Broad River Water Authority supplies Cliffside: about 89% of residents live in its service area. Cleveland County Water serves another 8%. About 6% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws surface water and serves 18,242 people in all.

No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people.

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

The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2026–Dec 2028, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 1.4 ppb. 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. NC0181035.

Internet

7 home internet providers serve Cliffside

82% of 278 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 54% can get fiber.

ProviderTechnologyAddressesFastest (Mbps)
Vyve BroadbandCable73%2,000/50
SpectrumFiber, Cable47%1,000/1,000
PANGAEA InternetFiber18%500/500
AT&TDSL, Fixed wireless6%25/3
VerizonFixed wireless59%300/20
SkyrunnerFixed wireless59%25/10

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

Trash & recycling

We don’t have Cliffside’s trash rules yet

Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Cliffside.

Trash, recycling and bulk pickupNot on fileCliffside has no town government of its own, so look for trash and recycling rules on the county’s site.
Schools

Where your child goes to school

Public school districts and the school path by grade.

Cliffside kids go to
K–5Cliffside Elementary SchoolRutherford County Schools
6–83 middle schoolsDepends on your address
9–124 high schoolsDepends on your address

Cliffside is in Rutherford 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

No town hall: the county runs things

Cliffside is unincorporated, so Rutherford County is the local government.

Local governmentRutherford CountyCliffside is a census-designated place: no town hall of its ownCensus
Who runs elections hereRutherford County Board of ElectionsElections here are run by Rutherford County (county election office). PO Box 927, Rutherfordton, NC 28139 · (828) 287-6030 · [email protected]FVAP, May 2019
Register to voteOnlineIn 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).vote.govCheck your registration and polling placevt.ncsbe.govThe state’s voter lookup

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

Cliffside spans 2 ZIP codes

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

ZIPPost office nameShare of CliffsideZIP’s residents in Cliffside
28114Mooresboro, NC97%7%
28024Cliffside, NC3%100%

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 Cliffside

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

Broad River Water Authority (EPA ID NC0181035). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2026–Dec 2028), against a 15 ppb action level.

Who provides electricity in Cliffside?

Broad River Electric Coop (Broad River Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 16.6¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).

What internet providers serve Cliffside?

Vyve Broadband, Spectrum, PANGAEA Internet, AT&T, Verizon, Skyrunner (FCC, as of December 2025).

What ZIP codes are in Cliffside?

28114 (97%), 28024 (3%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

What school district is Cliffside in?

Rutherford County Schools.

How do I register to vote in Cliffside?

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 Rutherford 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.