Cobblestone Historic District · Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Gaines, NY: what to set up and who to call
Trash goes out on Tuesdays in Gaines. Most of Gaines has one wired internet choice: Spectrum.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Gaines, 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 Gaines.
Power comes from National Grid
National Grid (Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Gaines. Its homes paid an average of 19.9¢ per kWh in 2025, about $130 a month (its average across New York, for customers on its standard service). New York lets you buy power from another supplier; 6% of National Grid’s home customers do, and National Grid still delivers it.
Start or move service: www1.nationalgridus.com · (315) 474-1511
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Albion Village water system
The Albion Village water system supplies Gaines: about 44% of residents live in its service area. About 56% 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 6,000 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, 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. NY3600596.
4 home internet providers serve Gaines
98% of 1,387 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 1% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 96% | 1,000/1,000 |
| North Shore Networks | Fixed wireless | 58% | 250/250 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 47% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 35% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Gaines is Tuesday
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Gaines, from the town’s own site.
This month
- TrashEvery week
From townofgaines.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 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.
Most of Gaines (97%) is in Albion Central School District; parts are in Lyndonville Central School District (3%).
C+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 Sep 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Gaines spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Gaines residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Gaines | ZIP’s residents in Gaines |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14411 | Albion, NY | 97% | 23% |
| 14477 | Kent, NY | 3% | 7% |
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 Gaines
Who supplies Gaines’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Albion Village water system (EPA ID NY3600596). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 4.0 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Gaines?
National Grid (Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 19.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Gaines?
Spectrum, North Shore Networks, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Gaines?
14411 (97%), 14477 (3%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Gaines in?
Albion Central School District. Parts of the city are in Lyndonville Central School District.
How do I register to vote in Gaines?
In New York you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before and received 10 days before). Elections here are run by the Orleans County Board of Elections. Check your registration at voterlookup.elections.ny.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: Gaines’ own website (townofgaines.gov), read Oct 21, 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 Aug 3, 2026 (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.