Living in Cricket, NC: what to set up and who to call
Cricket has no town government of its own, so Wilkes County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Wilkes County Schools. West Wilkes Wtr Association Inc reported one health-based violation to EPA in the last five years: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), beginning Oct 2024.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Cricket, 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 Cricket.
Power comes from Duke Energy
Duke Energy (Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Cricket. Its homes paid an average of 13.4¢ per kWh in 2025, about $134 a month (its average across North Carolina).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from West Wilkes Wtr Association Inc
West Wilkes Wtr Association Inc supplies Cricket: about 97% of residents live in its service area. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Town of North Wilkesboro and Town of Wilkesboro as sellers) and serves 12,573 people in all.
1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), beginning Oct 2024. 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people had none.
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. NC0197020.
5 home internet providers serve Cricket
99% of 870 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 80% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 97% | 1,000/50 |
| Brightspeed | Fiber, DSL | 80% | 2,000/2,000 |
| Carolina West Wireless | Fixed wireless | 100% | 25/3 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 10% | 25/3 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 6% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Cricket’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Cricket.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Cricket is in Wilkes County Schools.
B+School gradeSee 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
Cricket is unincorporated, so Wilkes County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated May 2019; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Cricket spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Cricket residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Cricket | ZIP’s residents in Cricket |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28659 | North Wilkesboro, NC | 96% | 9% |
| 28697 | Wilkesboro, NC | 4% | 1% |
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 Cricket
Who supplies Cricket’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
West Wilkes Wtr Association Inc (EPA ID NC0197020). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions). 83% 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 Cricket?
Duke Energy (Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 13.4¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Cricket?
Spectrum, Brightspeed, Carolina West Wireless, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Cricket?
28659 (96%), 28697 (4%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Cricket in?
Wilkes County Schools.
How do I register to vote in Cricket?
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 Wilkes 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.