Photo: hhm8 · CC BY 2.0Living in Boston, PA: what to set up and who to call
Boston has no town government of its own, so Allegheny County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Elizabeth Forward School District. The closest ER is UPMC Mckeesport Hospital, 3.1 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Boston, 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 Boston.
Power comes from Duquesne Light
Duquesne Light (Duquesne Light Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Boston. Its homes paid an average of 23.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $143 a month (its average across Pennsylvania, for customers on its standard service). Pennsylvania lets you buy power from another supplier; 21% of Duquesne Light’s home customers do, and Duquesne Light still delivers it.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Pennsylvania American Water
Pennsylvania American Water supplies almost all of Boston. It draws surface water (EPA lists West Cnty Muni Auth-Mckeesport and Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Auth as sellers) and serves 686,000 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.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jun–Sep 2025, was 4.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 72% 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. PA5020039.
3 home internet providers serve Boston
100% of 260 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 96% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 100% | 1,200/35 |
| Verizon | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 97% | 980/880 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 49% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Boston’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Boston.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Boston is in Elizabeth Forward 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
Boston is unincorporated, so Allegheny County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Boston is in ZIP code 15135
ZIP codes where Boston residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Boston | ZIP’s residents in Boston |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15135 | Mckeesport, PA | 100% | 11% |
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 Boston
Who supplies Boston’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Pennsylvania American Water (EPA ID PA5020039). 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 4.0 ppb (Jun–Sep 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Boston?
Duquesne Light (Duquesne Light Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 23.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Boston?
Xfinity, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Boston?
15135. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Boston in?
Elizabeth Forward School District.
How do I register to vote in Boston?
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 Allegheny 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.
- 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 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.