Photo: Theunderratedtaco · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in McAllen, TX: what to set up and who to call
Oncor delivers the power in McAllen, but in Texas’s open market you choose the company that sells it. For home internet, most of McAllen can choose between Spectrum and AT&T.
I’m new in town
What to set up in McAllen, 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 McAllen.
Power comes from Oncor
Oncor (Oncor Electric Delivery Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of McAllen.
Start or move service: oncor.com · (888) 875-6279
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Mcallen Public Utility
Mcallen Public Utility supplies McAllen: about 96% of residents live in its service area. It draws surface water (EPA lists City of Edinburg and City of Mission and City of Pharr and City of Hidalgo Water System as sellers) and serves 189,957 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 86% of the 332 systems serving 100,001–250,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Jun 2024, was 2.3 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 71% 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. TX1080006.
8 home internet providers serve McAllen
99% of 44,169 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 38% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 95% | 1,000/35 |
| AT&T | Fiber, Fixed wireless, DSL | 58% | 5,000/5,000 |
| VTX1 | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 56% | 400/50 |
| Smartcom Telephone | Fiber | 4% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Metronet | Fiber | 4% | 5,120/5,120 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 82% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in McAllen
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in McAllen, from the town’s own site.
Accepted at the curb
- Cardboard
- Paper
- Aluminum Cans
- Tin
- Glass
McAllen Recycling Center
4101 N. Bentsen Road, McAllen, TX 78504
We couldn’t find pickup days or drop-off hours. Check mcallen.net →
From mcallen.net, the town’s official site, checked Oct 23, 2026. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of McAllen (56%) is in McAllen Independent School District; parts are in Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District (15%) and Sharyland Independent School District (12%) and Hidalgo Independent School District (8%) and Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (7%) and Valley View Independent School District (2%).
B+School 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.
McAllen spans 4 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where McAllen residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of McAllen | ZIP’s residents in McAllen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78501 | Mcallen, TX | 43% | 100% |
| 78504 | Mcallen, TX | 39% | 98% |
| 78503 | Mcallen, TX | 17% | 100% |
| 78541 | Edinburg, TX | 1% | 3% |
A few homes fall in 78573, 78557, 78539. 78502, 78505 are P.O. box or single-organization ZIPs 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.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in McAllen
Who supplies McAllen’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Mcallen Public Utility (EPA ID TX1080006). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 86% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.3 ppb (Jan–Jun 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in McAllen?
Oncor (Oncor Electric Delivery Co.), an investor-owned utility.
What internet providers serve McAllen?
Spectrum, AT&T, VTX1, Smartcom Telephone, Metronet, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in McAllen?
78501 (43%), 78504 (39%), 78503 (17%), 78541 (1%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is McAllen in?
McAllen Independent School District. Parts of the city are in Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District and Sharyland Independent School District and Hidalgo Independent School District and Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District and Valley View Independent School District.
How do I register to vote in McAllen?
Texas has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before). Elections here are run by the Hidalgo County Early Voting Clerk. Check your registration at teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.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: McAllen’s own website (mcallen.net), read Oct 23, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- 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.