Area codes 503 and 971

Area codes 503 and 971 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Oregon. The numbering plan area (NPA) comprises the cities of Portland, Salem, and Astoria. Area code 503 was one of the original North American area codes of 1947, assigned to the entire state until 1995, when its extent was reduced to the northwest corner. Area code 971 was assigned to the service area in stages, completed in 2008, to form an overlay in the area with ten-digit dialing.

"Area code 503" redirects here. For the country code 503, see Telephone numbers in El Salvador.
  Area codes 503 and 971

History

In the initial configuration of the nationwide telephone numbering plan designed by AT&T in 1947,[1] the state of Oregon was assigned a single area code, 503. Despite Oregon's growth in the second half of the twentieth century, particularly in the Willamette Valley (Portland and Eugene), this remained so for 48 years, making Oregon one of the largest states by area with a single area code. By the early 1990s, the proliferation of cell phones and pagers, particularly in the Portland area, put this status in jeopardy with the threat of exhaustion of the telephone numbering pool.

On November 5, 1995, the numbering plan area was reduced to the more densely populated northwestern corner of the state, including Portland. The rest of the state received the new area code 541.[2]

Although this was intended as a long-term solution, the Portland area remained home to the great majority of Oregon's landlines, as well as most of its cell phones and pagers, the area continued to experience a shortage in telephone numbers. Within three years, further relief planning commenced. On July 1, 1999, area code 971 was created as a concentrated overlay for most of the numbering plan area, with the exceptions of Clatsop and Tillamook counties.[3] Initially, ten-digit dialing was to become mandatory in that service area on January 30, 2000, but the date was extended until October 1, 2000.[4]

The previously exempted Clatsop and Tillamook counties were added to the overlay on April 27, 2008.[5]

Service area

The service area includes the following counties:

References
  1. Mabbs, Ralph (Winter 1947–1948). "Nation-Wide Operator Toll Dialing—the Coming Way". Bell Telephone Magazine. 26 (4): 181. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  2. "Split of 503 (Oregon) Numbering Plan Area (NPA)" (PDF). North American Numbering Plan Administration. May 19, 1995. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  3. "Concentrated Overlay of 503 Numbering Plan Area (NPA) with 971 NPA" (PDF). North American Numbering Plan Administration. July 21, 1999. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  4. "Permissive Dialing Extended for the 503/971 Concentrated Overlay (Oregon)" (PDF). North American Numbering Plan Administration. December 10, 1999. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  5. "Expansion of the Concentrated NPA 971 Overlay with NPA 503 (Oregon)" (PDF). North American Numbering Plan Administration. December 21, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 26, 2010. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
Oregon area codes: 458/541, 503/971
North: 360/564
West: Pacific Ocean area codes 503/971 East: 458/541
South: 458/541
Washington area codes: 206, 253, 360, 425, 509, 564

45.5°N 123°W / 45.5; -123

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