Swanton Covered Railroad Bridge · Photo: Chester Liebs · Public domainLiving in Highgate, VT: what to set up and who to call
Swanton Village Water has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 5.0 ppb, was higher than 91% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15). Power in Highgate comes from Vermont Electric Cooperative, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Highgate, 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 Highgate.
Power comes from Vermont Electric Cooperative
Vermont Electric Cooperative (Vermont Electric Cooperative, Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Highgate. Its homes paid an average of 24.3¢ per kWh in 2025, about $138 a month (its average across Vermont).
Start or move service: vermontelectric.coop · (800) 832-2667
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Swanton Village Water
Swanton Village Water supplies Highgate: about 7% of residents live in its service area. About 93% 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 4,000 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2024–Dec 2026, was 5.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 91% 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. VT0005132.
6 home internet providers serve Highgate
97% of 1,595 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 5% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 95% | 2,000/250 |
| Consolidated Communications | DSL | 33% | 40/10 |
| Franklin Telephone Company | DSL, Fiber | 5% | 200/200 |
| VTel Wireless | Fixed wireless | 86% | 25/3 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 20% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 18% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Highgate’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Highgate.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Highgate is in two districts that split the grades: Missisquoi Valley School District 89 and Missisquoi Valley School District (Supervisory).
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 Nov 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Highgate spans 5 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Highgate residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Highgate | ZIP’s residents in Highgate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05459 | Highgate Center, VT | 49% | 100% |
| 05488 | Swanton, VT | 38% | 16% |
| 05483 | Sheldon, VT | 6% | 13% |
| 05457 | Franklin, VT | 5% | 10% |
| 05478 | Saint Albans, VT | 3% | 1% |
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 Highgate
Who supplies Highgate’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Swanton Village Water (EPA ID VT0005132). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 5.0 ppb (Jan 2024–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Highgate?
Vermont Electric Cooperative (Vermont Electric Cooperative, Inc), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 24.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Highgate?
Xfinity, Consolidated Communications, Franklin Telephone Company, VTel Wireless, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Highgate?
05459 (49%), 05488 (38%), 05483 (6%), 05457 (5%), 05478 (3%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Highgate in?
Missisquoi Valley School District 89 and Missisquoi Valley School District (Supervisory).
How do I register to vote in Highgate?
In Vermont you can register online up to and including Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received by Election Day). Elections here are run by the Highgate Town Clerk. Check your registration at mvp.vermont.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 Aug 3, 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.