Living in Sylvan Hills, 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. Sylvan Hills has no town government of its own, so Blair County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Hollidaysburg Area School District.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Sylvan Hills, 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 Sylvan Hills.
Power comes from Valley Rural Electric Coop
Valley Rural Electric Coop (Valley Rural Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Sylvan Hills. Its homes paid an average of 15.1¢ per kWh in 2025, about $148 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 Altoona Water Authority
Altoona Water Authority supplies Sylvan Hills: about 77% of residents live in its service area. Hollidaysburg Muni Auth serves another 24%. About 5% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. 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.
7 home internet providers serve Sylvan Hills
100% of 343 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 86% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breezeline | Cable | 100% | 1,000/50 |
| Xfinity | Fiber, Cable | 93% | 2,000/2,000 |
| Crowsnest Broadband | Fixed wireless | 90% | 400/100 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 57% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 54% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 33% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Sylvan Hills’ trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Sylvan Hills.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Sylvan Hills is in Hollidaysburg 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.
No town hall: the county runs things
Sylvan Hills is unincorporated, so Blair 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.
Sylvan Hills is in ZIP code 16648
ZIP codes where Sylvan Hills residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Sylvan Hills | ZIP’s residents in Sylvan Hills |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16648 | Hollidaysburg, PA | 100% | 5% |
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 Sylvan Hills
Who supplies Sylvan Hills’ 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.
Who provides electricity in Sylvan Hills?
Valley Rural Electric Coop (Valley Rural Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 15.1¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Sylvan Hills?
Breezeline, Xfinity, Crowsnest Broadband, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Sylvan Hills?
16648. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Sylvan Hills in?
Hollidaysburg Area School District.
How do I register to vote in Sylvan Hills?
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.
- 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.