Area code 386
386 is an Area code in Northern Florida. It is one of the few area codes in North America which is not contiguous. Area code 904 lies in between the two portions of 386. The largest city in 386 is Deltona.
Description
Area code 386 covers the entire area of the following counties: Columbia, Flagler, Hamilton, Lafayette, Suwannee, and Union. The vast majority of Volusia County with the exception of the unincorporated area Osteen (Southwest Volusia County) area is covered as well. Daytona Beach and its suburbs are by far the most populated cities in 386, although the city of Deltona, a stand-alone bedroom community, has a slightly larger population number than Daytona Beach proper. The very northern part of Alachua County is also covered by this area code. Putnam County is split between three area codes, 386, 904, and Area code 352. As noted above, Area code 386 is split into two non-contiguous sections. If one thinks of the area represented by the two portions of 386 and Area code 904 as a figure somewhat resembling the numeral "7" (but with an obtuse, not acute angle), then 386 is the "left" and "bottom" portions, while 904 is the "right/top portion of the area. The "left" or North/West portion is immediately south of the Georgia border, east of the Tallahassee area, and west of the Jacksonville area. Lake City, Florida is near the center of this portion of the Area code. The "bottom" or South/East portion of the Area code is on the Atlantic coast south of the St. Augustine area and north of Brevard County.
History
Area code 386, which was put into service in July 2001, is one of a few examples of how rapid population growth (and explosive growth in unexpected areas) coupled with an increase in auxiliary devices (such as cell phones and pagers) has led to some unusual, unorthodox, and often controversial solutions to dividing up "full" Area codes.
When the current Area code system was implemented in 1947, the entire state was in Area code 305. In the 1960s, the state was partitioned into three area codes, the Southeast part of Florida remained in 305, the Southwest part of the state was put in Area code 813, and everything north of the Tampa/Orlando/Space Coast was given the area code 904. There remained three area codes in Florida until the mid-1980s when Florida started to split some of the three large area codes.
The western Panhandle portion of 904 (which then included all of the current 904 and 386 Area codes) was split off to become Area code 850, and this was believed to be a long term solution until the advent of cell phones, pagers, and other auxiliary devices. This development, along with the fact that Jacksonville was becoming a large city and the Volusia/Flagler areas were growing rapidly, meant that Jacksonville and Daytona Beach would inevitably need to be in separate Area codes. The problem was that the northwestern part of the 904 Area, which was not growing very fast, was large enough that it could not fit into the same Area code as the Jacksonville area. The other adjacent areas to this northwest portion of 904, Area codes 850 and 352, were also growing quickly, and thus could not absorb this portion of 904, which left only two viable solutions, either split the Jacksonville metro area, or make two non-contiguous sections of a new Area code. These two segments became Area code 386. There are some in Florida Public Service Commission, the body who oversees Area code development in Florida, who see the odd split in Area code 386 as a temporary measure, but it is believed that Area code 386 will retain its odd situation for at least a decade or more.
Adjacent area codes
North/West portion of 386
| North: 912 | ||
| West: 850 | area code 386 | East: 904 |
| South: 352 | ||
| Georgia area codes: 229, 404, 478, 678/470/943, 706/762, 770, 912 | ||
South/East portion of 386
| North: 904 | ||
| West: 352 | area code 386 | East: Atlantic Ocean |
| South: 321/407 |