Mansion House · Photo: Eric Schena · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in McDowell, VA: what to set up and who to call
McDowell has no town government of its own, so Highland County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Highland County Public Schools. Power in McDowell comes from BARC Electric Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in McDowell, 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 McDowell.
Power comes from BARC Electric Coop
BARC Electric Coop (BARC Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of McDowell.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Mcdowell water system
The Mcdowell water system supplies McDowell: about 0% of residents live in its service area. About 100% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water and serves 115 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 77% of the 15,074 systems serving 101–500 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
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. VA2091100.
1 home internet providers serve McDowell
54% of 75 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 54% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MGW Telephone | DSL, Fiber | 97% | 1,000/1,000 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have McDowell’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in McDowell.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
McDowell is in Highland County Public Schools.
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
McDowell is unincorporated, so Highland 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 Sep 30, 2026.
McDowell is in ZIP code 24458
ZIP codes where McDowell residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of McDowell | ZIP’s residents in McDowell |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24458 | Mc Dowell, VA | 100% | 26% |
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 McDowell
Who supplies McDowell’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Mcdowell water system (EPA ID VA2091100). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 77% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in McDowell?
BARC Electric Coop (BARC Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility.
What internet providers serve McDowell?
MGW Telephone (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in McDowell?
24458. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is McDowell in?
Highland County Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in McDowell?
In Virginia you can register online until 11 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 11 days before). Elections here are run by the Highland General Registrar. Check your registration at vote.elections.virginia.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 Sep 30, 2026 (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.