Living in Houghton, NY: what to set up and who to call
Houghton has no town government of its own, so Allegany County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Fillmore Central School District. The nearest emergency room is Wyoming County, 20.9 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Houghton, 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 Houghton.
Power comes from Rochester Gas & Electric
Rochester Gas & Electric (Rochester Gas & Electric Corp), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Houghton. Its homes paid an average of 22.0¢ per kWh in 2025, about $154 a month (its average across New York, for customers on its standard service). New York lets you buy power from another supplier; 14% of Rochester Gas & Electric’s home customers do, and Rochester Gas & Electric still delivers it.
Start or move service: rge.com · (585) 342-0802
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Houghton Water District
Houghton Water District supplies almost all of Houghton. It draws ground water and serves 2,000 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 2.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 69% 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. NY0200320.
6 home internet providers serve Houghton
97% of 236 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 76% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 90% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Armstrong | Fiber | 72% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Frontier | DSL | 71% | 90/5 |
| Southern Tier Wireless | Fixed wireless | 92% | 75/15 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 35% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 15% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Houghton’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Houghton.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Houghton (99%) is in Fillmore 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
Houghton is unincorporated, so Allegany County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Aug 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Houghton is in ZIP code 14744
ZIP codes where Houghton residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Houghton | ZIP’s residents in Houghton |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14744 | Houghton, NY | 100% | 77% |
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 Houghton
Who supplies Houghton’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Houghton Water District (EPA ID NY0200320). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Houghton?
Rochester Gas & Electric (Rochester Gas & Electric Corp), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 22.0¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Houghton?
Spectrum, Armstrong, Frontier, Southern Tier Wireless, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Houghton?
14744. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Houghton in?
Fillmore Central School District.
How do I register to vote in Houghton?
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 Allegany 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.