If you’ve lived in Raleigh for a while, your phone number is probably preceded by the 919 area code and you might even own some of the 919-branded swag available at local stores around town.

And if you’ve really been paying attention, you may also have noticed the arrival of the 984 area code back in 2011. (No, this isn’t an April Fool’s Day joke.) Today we’re breaking down the differences between the 919 and the 984.

☎️ Area codes were first assigned in 1947, and back then, the entire state was given one area code — 704, which is now reserved for Charlotte and Western NC.

☎️ The 919 area code was initially put into service Jan. 1, 1954 for the Central and Eastern regions of the state.

☎️ In 1998, the 919 was split + numbers serving the Eastern part of the state — near Rocky Mount and Greenville — were updated to the 252 area code.

As the Raleigh metro area continued to grow, officials identified the fact that we would eventually run out of phone numbers. The 984 area code was first proposed in 2001 to accommodate increasing cell phone use + a significant population boom. Implementation was deferred however (thanks to number pooling).

☎️ 984 was eventually implemented in 2011 + it is an overlay area code, serving the exact same geographical area as the 919 area code.

☎️ Did you know? 14 counties and 50 cities are served by both 919 and 984. Approximately 474,600 people (aka the entire population of the City of Raleigh) have a 919 phone number, while statistics for the 984 are not widely available.

If you’re wondering whether we may need a new area code at some point soon, don’t worry too much. The latest projections show that the Triangle won’t need another area code for ~30 years.

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