Living in Oakland, PA: what to set up and who to call
Oakland has no town government of its own, so Lawrence County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Union Area School District. The closest ER is UPMC Jameson, 1.8 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Oakland, 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 Oakland.
Power comes from Penn Power
Penn Power (Pennsylvania Power Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Oakland.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Pa Amer Water Co New Castle
Pa Amer Water Co New Castle supplies almost all of Oakland. It draws surface water and serves 43,279 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 Jun–Sep 2025, was 2.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 65% 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. PA6370034.
4 home internet providers serve Oakland
100% of 685 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 71% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 48% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 40% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Oakland’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Oakland.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Oakland (90%) is in Union Area School District; parts are in New Castle Area School District (10%).
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
Oakland is unincorporated, so Lawrence County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Aug 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Oakland is in ZIP code 16101
ZIP codes where Oakland residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Oakland | ZIP’s residents in Oakland |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16101 | New Castle, PA | 100% | 4% |
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 Oakland
Who supplies Oakland’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Pa Amer Water Co New Castle (EPA ID PA6370034). 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 2.0 ppb (Jun–Sep 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Oakland?
Penn Power (Pennsylvania Power Co.), an investor-owned utility.
What internet providers serve Oakland?
Xfinity, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Oakland?
16101. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Oakland in?
Union Area School District. Parts of the city are in New Castle Area School District.
How do I register to vote in Oakland?
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 Lawrence 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.