Area codes 303, 720, and 983
<imagemap> File:Area_codes_CO_2023.png|right|thumb|320px|Clickable map of Colorado area codes in blue (with bordering states).[1]
poly 67 8 381 26 380 108 356 107 352 131 343 130 340 107 326 102 320 104 301 104 301 85 282 85 287 77 263 77 259 84 216 79 204 102 182 125 177 144 191 151 199 177 180 203 168 207 166 219 151 219 149 229 167 226 168 238 186 238 196 227 203 228 211 241 199 262 42 247 Area code 970 poly 216 80 207 100 195 109 199 120 211 125 213 132 221 132 223 142 283 145 302 106 302 86 282 85 286 79 261 78 259 83 Area codes 303, 720, and 983 poly 378 107 356 107 350 133 342 130 342 107 324 100 300 105 283 144 224 141 221 131 212 132 211 126 198 119 195 109 179 125 178 143 193 151 198 178 181 203 165 207 164 218 149 219 149 231 166 227 168 238 186 239 195 226 205 230 211 242 200 261 376 270 Area code 719 poly 380 87 427 89 426 168 377 171 Area code 785 poly 380 26 290 23 290 0 422 0 425 87 380 88 Area code 308 poly 291 24 4 1 291 0 Area code 307 poly 42 245 0 243 0 1 66 7 Area code 435 poly 38 292 0 293 0 242 42 247 Area code 928 poly 119 253 107 262 104 294 327 294 330 268 Area code 575 poly 45 247 41 294 104 294 107 262 119 253 Area code 505 poly 329 293 425 293 425 271 330 268 Area code 580 poly 376 170 426 170 427 270 375 270 Area code 620 desc top-right </imagemap>
Area codes 303, 720 and 983 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan for the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Colorado. The numbering plan area comprises Denver and Boulder, as well as their surrounding suburbs, including Lakewood, Littleton, Longmont, Broomfield, Aurora, and Castle Rock. Area code 303 is the original area code, while area codes 720 and 983 were added (in 1998 and 2022 respectively) to form an overlay complex for the area, meaning that the same geographic service area is served by all area codes and that ten-digit dialing is required for all calls made within the service area.
History
Area code 303 was one of the original North American area codes of 1947, and originally served the entire state of Colorado. It remained the state's sole area code for 40 years.
Colorado's explosive growth in the second half of the 20th century, particularly in the Denver/Boulder area, made it a certainty that Colorado would need another area code. An impending number shortage in the late 1980s meant this split could no longer be staved off. On March 5, 1988, southeastern Colorado, including Colorado Springs and Pueblo, was divided from the statewide area and received area code 719.[2] Further demand for numbers led to another split: The northeastern and western portions of area code 303, including Fort Collins, Grand Junction, Vail and Aspen, were separated on April 2, 1995, and became area code 970. This split reduced 303 to the Denver-Boulder area.[3] With the 1995 split, 303 was the only Colorado area code that did not border another state.
Although the 1995 split was intended as a long-term solution, the area continued to experience sharp growth so that within two years, further relief was necessary. The Front Range area is home not only to most of Colorado's landlines, but also most of the state's cell phones, fax machines, and pagers. On September 1, 1998, area code 720 was instituted in the 303 service area to create an overlay.[4]
In 2020, the North American Numbering Plan Administrator estimated that the Denver metropolitan area would reach numbering exhaustion by 2023.[5] Accordingly, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission approved on May 21, 2021 an additional area code for the all-services distributed overlay of NPA 303/720.[6][7] Area code 983 was activated on June 17, 2022. No central office codes in 983 were allowed to be installed before complete exhaustion of the previous area codes.[6] This latest addition resulted in 23.8 million numbers being assigned to an area of about 3.5 million people.[8]
Local calling
The numbering plan area is one of the largest toll-free calling zones in the western United States.[citation needed] With the exception of Roggen, Brighton, and Wiggins,[9][failed verification] no long-distance charges are levied for any calls made from one telephone to another in the area.
See also
References
- ^ "Area Codes Map, Colorado". NANPA. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
- ^ NANP Information Letter 87-03-045 (1987-03-27), retrieved 2020-08-29
- ^ NANPA Information Letter 94/09-012 (1994-09-21) retrieved 2020-08-29
- ^ MICHAEL LOVELL (August 31, 1998). "10-Digit Dialing Hits Denver Area". Reuters. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ^ 2020-1 NRUF and NPA Exhaust Analysis (PDF), retrieved May 9, 2021
- ^ 6.0 6.1 NANPA, NPA 983 and 303/720 All-Services Overlay (Colorado), Planning Letter PL-563 (2021-07-29)
- ^ "Denver's new area code starts in 2022". Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ "Colorado Counties by Population".
- ^ "Local Calling Guide". Retrieved September 30, 2012.
External links
| North: 970 | ||
| West: 970 | 303/720/983 | East: 719 |
| South: 719 |