Aubrey R. Watzek House · Photo: Visitor7 · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Portland, OR: what to set up and who to call
An EPA health-based violation from 2017 is still open for Portland Water Bureau. Metro Central Transfer Station takes trash and recycling in Portland, open 8 am–5 pm (days not listed) (OpenStreetMap).
I’m new in town
What to set up in Portland, 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 Portland.
Power comes from Portland General Electric
Portland General Electric (Portland General Electric Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Portland. Its homes paid an average of 18.8¢ per kWh in 2025, about $142 a month (its average across Oregon).
Start or move service: portlandgeneral.com · (503) 464-8000
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Portland Water Bureau
Portland Water Bureau supplies Portland: about 96% of residents live in its service area. It draws surface water and serves 666,200 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 93% of the 42 systems serving 500,001–1,000,000 people. 1 older violation is still open, since 2017: a surface water treatment requirement (Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule), per EPA’s records.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2026, was 5.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 21.0 ppb. That’s higher than 82% 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. OR4100657.
7 home internet providers serve Portland
100% of 185,279 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 76% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| Quantum Fiber | Fiber | 80% | 2,000/1,000 |
| CenturyLink | Fiber, DSL | 24% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 67% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 64% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 64% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Curbside recycling in Portland: every week
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Portland, from the town’s own site.
Metro Central Transfer Station
6161 Northwest 61st Avenue, Portland, OR, 97210
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
Accepted at the curb
- Glass bottles and jars
- Cardboard
- Plastic bottles
- Plastic tubs, buckets, and flowerpots
From portland.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2025-05-24, 2026-07-01, 2026-09-21. 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 Portland (76%) is in Portland School District 1J; parts are in Parkrose School District 3 (8%) and David Douglas School District 40 (8%) and Centennial School District 28J (4%) and Reynolds School District 7 (3%).
ASchool 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 Jun 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Oct 2, 2026.
Portland spans 25 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Portland residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Portland | ZIP’s residents in Portland |
|---|---|---|---|
| 97206 | Portland, OR | 8% | 97% |
| 97202 | Portland, OR | 7% | 100% |
| 97219 | Portland, OR | 6% | 94% |
| 97236 | Portland, OR | 6% | 95% |
| 97266 | Portland, OR | 6% | 100% |
| 97217 | Portland, OR | 6% | 100% |
| 97203 | Portland, OR | 5% | 100% |
| 97211 | Portland, OR | 5% | 100% |
| 97213 | Portland, OR | 5% | 100% |
| 97220 | Portland, OR | 4% | 97% |
| 97214 | Portland, OR | 4% | 100% |
| 97233 | Portland, OR | 4% | 66% |
| 97212 | Portland, OR | 4% | 100% |
| 97230 | Portland, OR | 4% | 63% |
| 97209 | Portland, OR | 3% | 100% |
| 97239 | Portland, OR | 3% | 100% |
| 97215 | Portland, OR | 3% | 100% |
| 97216 | Portland, OR | 3% | 100% |
| 97201 | Portland, OR | 3% | 100% |
| 97232 | Portland, OR | 2% | 100% |
| 97218 | Portland, OR | 2% | 100% |
| 97210 | Portland, OR | 2% | 97% |
| 97221 | Portland, OR | 2% | 86% |
| 97205 | Portland, OR | 1% | 100% |
| 97229 | Portland, OR | 1% | 9% |
A few homes fall in 97227, 97231, 97223, 97204, 97086, 97035, 97222, 97225, 97034, 97208, 97080. 97207, 97228, 97238, 97240, 97242, 97250, 97251, 97252, 97253, 97254, 97256, 97258, 97268, 97269, 97280, 97281, 97282, 97283, 97286, 97290, 97291, 97292, 97293, 97294, 97296, 97298 are P.O. box or single-organization ZIPs with no homes.
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.
Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Portland
When is the Metro Central Transfer Station open?
8 am–5 pm (days not listed), according to OpenStreetMap (as of Oct 9, 2026). Check oregonmetro.gov before you go: the town sets the hours and who may use it.
Who supplies Portland’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Portland Water Bureau (EPA ID OR4100657). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 93% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 5.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Portland?
Portland General Electric (Portland General Electric Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 18.8¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Portland?
Xfinity, Quantum Fiber, CenturyLink, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Portland?
97206 (8%), 97202 (7%), 97219 (6%), 97236 (6%), 97266 (6%), 97217 (6%), 97203 (5%), 97211 (5%), 97213 (5%), 97220 (4%), 97214 (4%), 97233 (4%), 97212 (4%), 97230 (4%), 97209 (3%), 97239 (3%), 97215 (3%), 97216 (3%), 97201 (3%), 97232 (2%), 97218 (2%), 97210 (2%), 97221 (2%), 97205 (1%), 97229 (1%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Portland in?
Portland School District 1J. Parts of the city are in Parkrose School District 3 and David Douglas School District 40 and Centennial School District 28J and Reynolds School District 7.
How do I register to vote in Portland?
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 Multnomah 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: Portland’s own website (portland.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 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.