Photo: Cornellrockey · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Varna, NY: what to set up and who to call
Varna has no town government of its own, so Tompkins County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Ithaca City School District. The closest public drop-off to Varna is Recycling and Solid Waste Center, 4 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Varna, 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 Varna.
Power comes from New York State Elec & Gas
New York State Elec & Gas (New York State Elec & Gas Corp), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Varna. Its homes paid an average of 22.6¢ per kWh in 2025, about $168 a month (its average across New York, for customers on its standard service). New York lets you buy power from another supplier; 6% of New York State Elec & Gas’ home customers do, and New York State Elec & Gas still delivers it.
Start or move service: nyseg.com · (800) 572-1131
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Cornell University water system
The Cornell University water system supplies Varna: about 1% of residents live in its service area. About 99% 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 31,581 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, was 2.4 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 74% 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. NY5417686.
4 home internet providers serve Varna
100% of 326 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 27% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable | 100% | 1,000/35 |
| Dryden Fiber | Fiber | 17% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 98% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 83% | 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 4 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Varna.
Recycling and Solid Waste Center
160 Commercial Avenue, Ithaca, NY, 14850 · run by Tompkins County
This isn’t Varna’s own facility. Whether Varna 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.
Varna is in Ithaca City 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
Varna is unincorporated, so Tompkins County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Oct 2026; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Varna is in ZIP code 14850
ZIP codes where Varna residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Varna | ZIP’s residents in Varna |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14850 | Ithaca, NY | 100% | 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 Varna
Who supplies Varna’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Cornell University water system (EPA ID NY5417686). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.4 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Varna?
New York State Elec & Gas (New York State Elec & Gas Corp), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 22.6¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Varna?
Spectrum, Dryden Fiber, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Varna?
14850. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Varna in?
Ithaca City School District.
How do I register to vote in Varna?
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 Tompkins 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.