Area codes 210 and 726
Area codes 210 and 726 are North American telephone area codes for numbers in and near San Antonio, Texas. They are enclave area codes, similar to area code 312 in Chicago, area code 316 in Wichita, Kansas, area codes 385/801 in Salt Lake City, Utah & 412/878 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in that it is completely surrounded by area code 830.
The main area code, 210, was created November 1, 1992, in a split from area code 512. It covered the San Antonio area, most of the Hill Country, and the Rio Grande Valley. Before 1992, 512 had served the entire south-central portion of Texas since the area code system was instituted in 1947; 512 was the last of Texas' original four area codes to be split. Conventional wisdom would have suggested that San Antonio retain 512, as it was the largest city in the old 512 territory. However, state regulators decided to allow Austin, the state capital, to retain 512 in order to spare state agencies the disruption of having to change their numbers.
The 1992 split was intended to be a long-term solution in order to relieve exchanges in the Austin–San Antonio corridor. However, within four years, 210 was already close to exhaustion because of San Antonio's rapid growth and the popularity of cellular telephones and pagers. This forced a three-way split, which took place on July 7, 1997. Most of Bexar County stayed in 210, while the San Antonio suburbs and the Hill Country were split off as area code 830. The southern portion, centered around the Rio Grande Valley, became area code 956. The 1997 split made San Antonio one of the few cities split between two area codes. Some portions of San Antonio located in Medina and Comal counties, as well as a few portions of Bexar County, are in 830. However, because most of San Antonio and Bexar County are in the 210 area code, "210" has become part of the area's identity and culture.
Amid projections that 210 would exhaust by mid-2018, it was decided to overlay it with a second area code. Planning for that new area code began in June 2015.[1][2][3]
The new code, 726, was announced in August 2016, and went into effect in October 2017.[2][3] Public education efforts about the upcoming change commenced in September 2016.[3] Permissive dialing of both seven and ten-digit numbers began in March 2017,[3] and became mandatory in late September of that year.[2] Prior to this, San Antonio was the largest city in Texas and one of the largest in the nation where seven-digit dialing was still possible. And that eased San Antonians the burden & expense of changing their numbers, thanks to the overlay.
Counties served by these area codes:
Towns and cities served by these area codes:
- Adkins, Alamo Heights, Artesia Wells, Atascosa, Castle Hills, Cibolo, Converse, Ecleto, Elmendorf, Helotes, Kirby, Leon Springs, Macdona, Olmos Park, Saint Hedwig, San Antonio, Shavano Park, Schertz, Universal City, Von Ormy, Wetmore, Windcrest
See also
References
- ^ http://www.nanpa.com/nanp1/NPA_Relief_Activity_Status.xlsx
- ^ a b c http://www.puc.texas.gov/agency/resources/pubs/news/2016/072116.pdf
- ^ a b c d San Antonio Will Soon Have Two Area Codes; Business Journals.com; accessed August 2016
External links
| North: 830 | ||
| West: 830 | area code 210/726 | East: 830 |
| South: 830 |