Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Highland, NY: what to set up and who to call
Highland has no town government of its own, so Ulster County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Highland Central School District. Highland Water District reported one health-based violation to EPA in the last five years: disinfection byproducts (TTHM), beginning Jan 2026.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Highland, 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 Highland.
Power comes from Central Hudson Gas & Elec
Central Hudson Gas & Elec (Central Hudson Gas & Elec Corp), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Highland. Its homes paid an average of 27.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $193 a month (its average across New York, for customers on its standard service). New York lets you buy power from another supplier; 9% of Central Hudson Gas & Elec’s home customers do, and Central Hudson Gas & Elec still delivers it.
Start or move service: centralhudson.com · (845) 452-2700
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Highland Water District
Highland Water District supplies Highland: about 95% of residents live in its service area. About 4% 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 4,000 people in all.
1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (TTHM), beginning Jan 2026. 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 2025–Dec 2027, was 5.9 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 11.5 ppb. That’s higher than 94% 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. NY5503368.
3 home internet providers serve Highland
96% of 2,016 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 2% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optimum | Cable, Fiber | 94% | 940/35 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 42% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 33% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 3 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Highland.
Russo Sanitation
This isn’t Highland’s own facility. Whether Highland residents may use it is the town’s rule: check the town’s office.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Highland is in Highland Central School District.
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.
No town hall: the county runs things
Highland is unincorporated, so Ulster County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Sep 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Highland is in ZIP code 12528
ZIP codes where Highland residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Highland | ZIP’s residents in Highland |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12528 | Highland, NY | 100% | 45% |
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 Highland
Who supplies Highland’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Highland Water District (EPA ID NY5503368). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (TTHM). 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 5.9 ppb (Jan 2025–Dec 2027), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Highland?
Central Hudson Gas & Elec (Central Hudson Gas & Elec Corp), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 27.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Highland?
Optimum, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Highland?
12528. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Highland in?
Highland Central School District.
How do I register to vote in Highland?
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 Ulster 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: 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 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.