Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Living in Altoona, PA: what to set up and who to call
Altoona Water Authority reported 2 health-based violations to EPA in the last five years: a bacteria testing requirement (Revised Total Coliform Rule) ×2. 90% of systems its size reported none. Trains stop in Altoona.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Altoona, 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 Altoona.
Water comes from Altoona Water Authority
Altoona Water Authority supplies almost all of Altoona. It draws surface water and serves 62,500 people in all.
2 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a bacteria testing requirement (Revised Total Coliform Rule) ×2, the latest beginning Aug 2025. 90% of the 597 systems serving 50,001–100,000 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jun–Sep 2025, was 2.9 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 80% 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. PA4070023.
8 home internet providers serve Altoona
100% of 17,585 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 58% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breezeline | Cable, Fiber | 98% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Xfinity | Fiber, Cable | 58% | 2,000/2,000 |
| Salsgiver | Fiber | 8% | 10,000/10,000 |
| Crowsnest Broadband | Fixed wireless | 98% | 400/100 |
| In The Stix Broadband | Fixed wireless | 64% | 50/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 31% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Altoona’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Altoona.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Altoona is in Altoona Area School District.
CSchool 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 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Altoona spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Altoona residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Altoona | ZIP’s residents in Altoona |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16601 | Altoona, PA | 50% | 68% |
| 16602 | Altoona, PA | 50% | 78% |
16603 is P.O. box or single-organization ZIP 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 Altoona
Who supplies Altoona’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Altoona Water Authority (EPA ID PA4070023). It reported 2 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a bacteria testing requirement (Revised Total Coliform Rule) ×2. 90% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.9 ppb (Jun–Sep 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
What internet providers serve Altoona?
Breezeline, Xfinity, Salsgiver, Crowsnest Broadband, In The Stix Broadband, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Altoona?
16601 (50%), 16602 (50%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Altoona in?
Altoona Area School District.
How do I register to vote in Altoona?
In Pennsylvania you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person until 15 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 15 days before). Elections here are run by the Blair County Board of Elections. Check your registration at pavoterservices.pa.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.
- 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 Nov 18, 2024 (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.