Area codes 518 and 838

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Coordinates: 43°12′N 73°54′W / 43.2°N 73.9°W / 43.2; -73.9

The blue area is New York State; the red is area code 518.

Area codes 518 and 838 are telephone area codes serving the northeasternmost part of Upstate New York in the United States. 518 was established as one of the original area codes during 1947. Area code 838 was added as an overlay during 2017. The two area codes cover 24 counties and 1,200 ZIP Codes. There are 493 landline exchanges and 100 wireless exchanges served by 47 carriers.[1] The numbering plan area (NPA) it covers in New York State extends from the eastern Mohawk Valley to the Vermont border, and from the Canada–US border to south of Albany. The bulk of this NPA population is in the Capital District (the vicinity of the cities Albany, Schenectady, and Troy). Other cities in the NPA are Glens Falls, Plattsburgh, and Saratoga Springs.

History[]

The 518 area is the only one of New York's original five NPAs that still has its original boundaries. Despite the presence of the Capital District, this part of New York is not as densely populated as the rest of the state. As a result, even with the proliferation of cell phones and pagers (particularly in the Capital District and Glens Falls), it was one of the few remaining original area codes (not counting those serving an entire state) that had never been split or overlaid. By the spring of 2016, however, 518 was on the verge of depletion, and it was projected that the region would need another area code by 2019 at the latest.[2] By the autumn, however, it was anticipated that 518 would be depleted during the third quarter of 2017. An overlay area code, 838, was approved quickly, to be implemented during the autumn of 2017.[3][4]

From March 18 to August 19, 2017, telephone calls could be made using seven digits or ten digits (area code + seven digit number). Ten-digit dialing became mandatory on August 20, 2017, with recorded messages reminding callers if they dialed incorrectly. On September 19, 2017, area code 838 was officially added as an overlay to area code 518 making this the second overlay in the upstate region.[5]

Areas served by this area code[]

By county[]

  • Albany
  • Clinton
  • Columbia
  • Dutchess
  • Essex
  • Franklin
  • Fulton
  • Greene
  • Hamilton
  • Montgomery
  • Rensselaer
  • Saint Lawrence
  • Saratoga
  • Schenectady
  • Schoharie
  • Warren
  • Washington

By community[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Area Code 518". White Pages Inc. Archived from the original on 22 July 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-09-11. Retrieved 2016-08-31.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ Anderson, Eric (September 15, 2016). "Another three digits to join the 518". Times-Union. Albany, N.Y.: Hearst. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  4. ^ Rulison, Larry (September 20, 2016). "Capital Region, say hello to area code 838". Times-Union. Albany, N.Y.: Hearst. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  5. ^ Farrell, Michael P. "New 838 area code will be phased in starting this month" Archived 2017-09-26 at the Wayback Machine. Albany Times Union. Retrieved September 25, 2017.

External links[]

New York area codes: 212/332/646, 315/680, 347/718/929, 516, 518/838, 585, 607, 631/934, 716, 845, 914, 917
North: 450/579, 613/343, 819/873
West: 315/680, 607 area code 518/838 East: 413, 802, 860/959
South: 845
Connecticut area codes: 203/475, 860/959
Massachusetts area codes: 339/781, 351/978, 413, 508/774, 617/857
Ontario area codes: 226/519/548, 249/705, 289/365/905, 343/613, 416/437/647, 807
Quebec area codes: 367/418/581, 438/514, 450/579, 819/873
Vermont area codes: 802
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