George A. Wells Jr. House · Photo: 46percent · Public domainLiving in Independence, OR: what to set up and who to call
Every home in Independence is in ZIP code 97351. Salem Health West Valley, 7 miles away, is the nearest emergency room.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Independence, 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 Independence.
Power comes from Pacific Power
Pacific Power (PacifiCorp), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Independence. Its homes paid an average of 15.2¢ per kWh in 2025, about $133 a month (its average across Oregon).
Start or move service: pacificorp.com · (888) 221-7070
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Independence Water System
Independence Water System supplies almost all of Independence. It draws ground water and serves 10,300 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 3.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 79% 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. OR4100399.
7 home internet providers serve Independence
100% of 2,870 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 97% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Monmouth Independence Networks | Fiber | 96% | 2,500/2,500 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 15% | 100/10 |
| Alyrica | Fixed wireless | 100% | 400/50 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 83% | 300/20 |
| Hunter Communications | Fixed wireless | 43% | 200/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Independence’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Independence.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Independence is in Central School District 13J.
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 Jul 2019; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Oct 2, 2026.
Independence is in ZIP code 97351
ZIP codes where Independence residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Independence | ZIP’s residents in Independence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 97351 | Independence, OR | 100% | 87% |
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 Independence
Who supplies Independence’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Independence Water System (EPA ID OR4100399). 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 3.0 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Independence?
Pacific Power (PacifiCorp), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 15.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Independence?
Spectrum, Monmouth Independence Networks, CenturyLink, Alyrica, Verizon, Hunter Communications (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Independence?
97351. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Independence in?
Central School District 13J.
How do I register to vote in Independence?
In Oregon you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before). Elections here are run by the Polk County Clerk, Elections Office. Check your registration at sos.oregon.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 Oct 2, 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.