Living in Portland, TX: what to set up and who to call
The City of Portland water system reported one health-based violation to EPA in the last five years: disinfection byproducts (TTHM), beginning Jan 2022. Power in Portland comes from San Patricio Electric Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Portland, 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 Portland.
Power comes from San Patricio Electric Coop
San Patricio Electric Coop (San Patricio Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Portland. Its homes paid an average of 14.2¢ per kWh in 2025, about $163 a month (its average across Texas).
Start or move service: sanpatricioelectric.org · (361) 364-2220
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Portland water system
The City of Portland water system supplies Portland: about 95% of residents live in its service area. About 5% 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 San Patricio Mwd as seller) and serves 22,933 people in all.
1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (TTHM), beginning Jan 2022. 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 1.5 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 4.9 ppb. That’s higher than 57% 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. TX2050005.
7 home internet providers serve Portland
100% of 6,667 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 80% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 98% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Frontier | Fiber | 83% | 7,000/7,000 |
| Sparklight | Cable | 3% | 1,000/50 |
| Gtek Communications | Fixed wireless | 100% | 200/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 86% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 30% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Portland depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Portland, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayFind your street’s day on portlandtx.com →
- RecyclingEvery other weekCheck which week on portlandtx.com →
- Bulky itemsOnce a month, Sun
Accepted at the curb
- Newspapers (with ads and inserts)
- Catalogs and phone books
- Corrugated cardboard (flattened to less than two square feet)
- Magazines
- Paperboard boxes (like cereal boxes)
- Shoe boxes and other similar paper
- Unwanted mail and envelopes
- Aerosol spray cans
- Aluminum foil and trays
- Beverage cans
- Metal soft drink cans
- Detergent containers
- Food containers marked with a #1 or #2 recycling symbol
- Soap, shampoo or soft drink bottles
From portlandtx.com, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 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 Portland (89%) is in Gregory-Portland Independent School District; parts are in Taft Independent School District (11%).
BSchool 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 Sep 2026; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Portland is in ZIP code 78374
ZIP codes where Portland residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Portland | ZIP’s residents in Portland |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78374 | Portland, TX | 99% | 100% |
A few homes fall in 78390.
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 Portland
Who supplies Portland’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Portland water system (EPA ID TX2050005). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (TTHM). 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.5 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Portland?
San Patricio Electric Coop (San Patricio Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 14.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Portland?
Spectrum, Frontier, Sparklight, Gtek Communications, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Portland?
78374. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Portland in?
Gregory-Portland Independent School District. Parts of the city are in Taft Independent School District.
How do I register to vote in Portland?
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 San Patricio 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: Portland’s own website (portlandtx.com), read Oct 21, 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.