Living in New River, VA: what to set up and who to call
New River has no town government of its own, so Pulaski County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Pulaski County Public Schools. The closest public drop-off to New River is Plum Creek Waste Collection, 5 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in New River, 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 New River.
Power comes from Appalachian Power
Appalachian Power (Appalachian Power Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of New River. Its homes paid an average of 17.2¢ per kWh in 2025, about $186 a month (its average across Virginia).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Radford water system
The City of Radford water system supplies New River: about 71% of residents live in its service area. About 29% 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 17,420 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 Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 3.6 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 85% 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. VA1750100.
4 home internet providers serve New River
99% of 136 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shentel | Cable | 98% | 2,000/50 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 93% | 300/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 65% | 25/3 |
| All Points Broadband | Fixed wireless | 54% | 10/1 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 5 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in New River.
Plum Creek Waste Collection
1515 Hornsby Drive, Christiansburg, VA
This isn’t New River’s own facility. Whether New River residents may use it is the town’s rule: check the town’s office.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
New River is in Pulaski 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
New River is unincorporated, so Pulaski County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Feb 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
New River spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where New River residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of New River | ZIP’s residents in New River |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24141 | Radford, VA | 88% | 1% |
| 24129 | New River, VA | 12% | 100% |
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 New River
Who supplies New River’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Radford water system (EPA ID VA1750100). 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 3.6 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in New River?
Appalachian Power (Appalachian Power Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 17.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve New River?
Shentel, Verizon, AT&T, All Points Broadband (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in New River?
24141 (88%), 24129 (12%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is New River in?
Pulaski County Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in New River?
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 Pulaski 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.