Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Manchester Center, VT: what to set up and who to call
Manchester Center has no town government of its own, so Bennington County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Taconic and Green Regional School District. The ER is a drive from Manchester Center: the closest is Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, 23.4 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Manchester Center, 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 Manchester Center.
Power comes from Green Mountain Power
Green Mountain Power (Green Mountain Power Corp), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Manchester Center. Its homes paid an average of 23.3¢ per kWh in 2025, about $140 a month (its average across Vermont).
Start or move service: greenmountainpower.com · (888) 836-4672
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Manchester Water Dept
Manchester Water Dept supplies Manchester Center: about 93% of residents live in its service area. About 6% 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 4,140 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 2.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 4.4 ppb. That’s higher than 67% 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. VT0005022.
6 home internet providers serve Manchester Center
100% of 1,165 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 82% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 99% | 1,200/35 |
| Fidium Fiber | Fiber | 79% | 2,000/2,000 |
| VTel Wireless | Fixed wireless | 69% | 25/3 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 65% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 64% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 15% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Manchester Center’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Manchester Center.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Manchester Center is in two districts that split the grades: Taconic and Green Region School District and Bennington Rutland Supervisory Union.
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
Manchester Center is unincorporated, so Bennington County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Sep 2026; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Manchester Center is in ZIP code 05255
ZIP codes where Manchester Center residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Manchester Center | ZIP’s residents in Manchester Center |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05255 | Manchester Center, VT | 100% | 53% |
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 Manchester Center
Who supplies Manchester Center’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Manchester Water Dept (EPA ID VT0005022). 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 2.0 ppb (Jan 2024–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Manchester Center?
Green Mountain Power (Green Mountain Power Corp), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 23.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Manchester Center?
Xfinity, Fidium Fiber, VTel Wireless, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Manchester Center?
05255. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Manchester Center in?
Taconic and Green Region School District and Bennington Rutland Supervisory Union.
How do I register to vote in Manchester Center?
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 Manchester 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.