Living in Gaines Township, PA: what to set up and who to call
Power in Gaines Township comes from Tri-County Rural Elec Coop Inc (PA), a cooperative utility rather than a private company. For emergencies, Gaines Township is closest to UPMC Wellsboro, 13.6 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Gaines Township, 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 Gaines Township.
Power comes from Tri-County Rural Elec Coop Inc (PA)
Tri-County Rural Elec Coop Inc (PA) (Tri-County Rural Elec Coop Inc (PA)), a cooperative utility, serves all of Gaines Township. Its homes paid an average of 22.4¢ per kWh in 2025, about $128 a month (its average across Pennsylvania).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Watrous Water Association
Watrous Water Association supplies Gaines Township: about 20% of residents live in its service area. About 80% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Galeton Borough Authority as seller) and serves 75 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 11,392 systems serving <=100 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jul–Dec 1993, was 3.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. It’s from 1993: EPA has no newer result for this system.
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. PA2590029.
6 home internet providers serve Gaines Township
89% of 738 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 39% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tri-Co Connections | Fiber | 48% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Blue Ridge Cable Technologies | Cable, Fiber | 44% | 2,000/40 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 41% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 7% | 25/3 |
| Xtreme5G | Fixed wireless | 6% | 50/10 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 3% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Gaines Township’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Gaines Township.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Gaines Township is in Galeton Area 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.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Sep 2026; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Gaines Township spans 3 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Gaines Township residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Gaines Township | ZIP’s residents in Gaines Township |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16921 | Gaines, PA | 81% | 88% |
| 16901 | Wellsboro, PA | 12% | 1% |
| 16950 | Westfield, PA | 7% | 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 Gaines Township
Who supplies Gaines Township’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Watrous Water Association (EPA ID PA2590029). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 3.0 ppb (Jul–Dec 1993), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Gaines Township?
Tri-County Rural Elec Coop Inc (PA) (Tri-County Rural Elec Coop Inc (PA)), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 22.4¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Gaines Township?
Tri-Co Connections, Blue Ridge Cable Technologies, Verizon, T-Mobile, Xtreme5G, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Gaines Township?
16921 (81%), 16901 (12%), 16950 (7%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Gaines Township in?
Galeton Area School District.
How do I register to vote in Gaines Township?
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 Tioga 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.