Photo: Harrison Keely · CC BY 4.0Living in Highlands, NC: what to set up and who to call
The Town of Highlands water system reported 3 health-based violations to EPA in the last five years: disinfection byproducts (HAA5) ×2, a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions). 80% of systems its size reported none. Highlands runs its own electric utility, City of Highlands.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Highlands, 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 Highlands.
Power comes from City of Highlands
City of Highlands (City of Highlands - (NC)), a municipal utility, serves all of Highlands.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Town of Highlands water system
The Town of Highlands water system supplies almost all of Highlands. It draws surface water and serves 6,614 people in all.
3 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (HAA5) ×2, a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), the latest beginning Oct 2024. 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 4.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 87% 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. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. NC0157015.
6 home internet providers serve Highlands
100% of 2,010 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 88% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vyve Broadband | Cable, Fiber | 97% | 1,000/50 |
| Hotwire Communications | Fiber | 86% | 2,500/2,500 |
| Frontier | Fiber, DSL | 75% | 7,000/7,000 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 28% | 25/3 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 23% | 300/20 |
| Skyrunner | Fixed wireless | 5% | 25/10 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Highlands’ trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Highlands.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Highlands (91%) is in Macon County Schools; parts are in Jackson County Schools (9%).
BSchool 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 Aug 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Highlands is in ZIP code 28741
ZIP codes where Highlands residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Highlands | ZIP’s residents in Highlands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28741 | Highlands, NC | 100% | 29% |
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 Highlands
Who supplies Highlands’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Town of Highlands water system (EPA ID NC0157015). It reported 3 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (HAA5) ×2, a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions). 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 4.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Highlands?
City of Highlands (City of Highlands - (NC)), a municipal utility.
What internet providers serve Highlands?
Vyve Broadband, Hotwire Communications, Frontier, AT&T, Verizon, Skyrunner (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Highlands?
28741. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Highlands in?
Macon County Schools. Parts of the city are in Jackson County Schools.
How do I register to vote in Highlands?
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 Macon 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.