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Area code 505
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Area code 505 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its numbering plan area (NPA) comprises the northwestern and central portions of the state, including the Albuquerque metropolitan area, Gallup, Santa Fe, and Farmington. The area code is one of the original North American area codes established in October 1947. Until October 7, 2007, it served the entire state.
History
[edit]When the American Telephone and Telegraph Company established the first nationwide telephone numbering plan in 1947, the state of New Mexico was designated as a single numbering plan area and was assigned area code 505 in the group of 86 original North American area codes.
On October 7, 2007, the numbering plan area was reduced in size to the high-population centers in the northwest of the state, due to the increasing demand for telecommunication services and telephone numbers. The rest of the state was renumbered with area code 575.[1] The issue was decided in 2006 by vote of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, with a 3–2 majority in favor of allowing the Albuquerque area to keep the old area code.[2]
The need for an additional area code for the state had been discussed since at least 2000,[3] but the PRC's initial votes for Albuquerque and Santa Fe to switch to a new area code and the rest of the state to keep the old 505 area code (including the Farmington and Gallup areas that are now part of the current 505 area code) were met with vocal opposition.[4] Amid heightening tensions between the urban and rural areas of the state, the commission eventually chose to put off the decision until 2006 after number pooling made the immediate addition of a new code unnecessary.[5]
Prior to October 2021, area code 505 had telephone numbers assigned for the central office code 988. In 2020, 988 was designated nationwide as a dialing code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which created a conflict for exchanges that permit seven-digit dialing. This area code was therefore scheduled to transition to ten-digit dialing by October 24, 2021.[6]
Service area
[edit]After the split for the creation of area code 575, the 505 numbering plan area comprised the following 43 rate centers.[1]
- Abiquiu
- Albuquerque
- Aztec
- Belen
- Bernalillo
- Chimayo
- Crown Point
- Dixon
- Espanola
- Estancia
- Farmington
- Fence Lake
- Gallup
- Grants
- Laguna Acoma
- Las Vegas
- Los Alamos
- Los Lunas
- Moriarty
- Mountainair
- Naschitti
- Navajo
- Newcomb
- Ojo Caliente
- Pecos
- Pena Blanca
- Pine Hill
- Pueblo Pintado
- Ramah
- Sanostee
- Santa Fe
- Shiprock
- Tijeras
- Toadlena
- Tohatchi
- Torreon
- Truchas
- Tse Bonito
- Twin Lakes
- Vanderwagon
- Velarde
- White Rock
- Zun
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Planning Letter 358: 505 NPA; 2-way Split, Creating 575 NPA – New Mexico" (PDF). North American Numbering Plan Administrator. 2006-12-21. Retrieved 2013-07-30.
- ^ Amadeo, Michael (2006-11-06). "Metro area to keep 505 area code". The Albuquerque Tribune. Archived from the original on 2009-01-11. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ^ "2nd area code on its way to busy N.M. phone lines". Albuquerque Journal. 2000-03-16.
- ^ Rayburn, Rosalie (2001-06-02). "Regulators Get Death Threats for Area-Code Vote". Albuquerque Journal.
- ^ Rayburn, Rosalie (2002-07-14). "Deadline For 505 Extended". Albuquerque Journal.
- ^ "Transition to 10-digit dialing (for 988 as 3-digit access to National Suicide Prevention Hotline)" (PDF). North American Numbering Plan Administrator. January 8, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
External links
[edit]
| North: 970 | ||
| West: 928 | 505 | East: 575 |
| South: 575 | ||
| Arizona area codes: 520, 602/480/623, 928 | ||
| Colorado area codes: 303/720/983, 719, 748/970 | ||
Area code 505
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Area code 505 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan serving the central and northwestern portions of New Mexico, including the Albuquerque metropolitan area, Santa Fe, Farmington, and Gallup.[1][2]
One of the original area codes established in October 1947, it initially covered the entire state of New Mexico.[3][4]
In response to central office code depletion, the numbering plan area was split effective October 7, 2007, with new area code 575 assigned to the southeastern and eastern regions, preserving 505 for its current territory centered on Albuquerque.[5]
The code operates in the Mountain Time Zone and requires ten-digit dialing for local calls within its region.[6]
These counties encompass diverse geographic regions, from the urban centers of the Rio Grande Valley to the high deserts and plateaus of the northwest, including areas near the Colorado border and parts of the Navajo Nation in McKinley and San Juan counties.[1] The service area excludes southern and eastern New Mexico, which were reassigned to area code 575 following the 2007 split.[5]
Overview
Geographic and Demographic Coverage
Area code 505 serves the central and northwestern portions of New Mexico, encompassing the Albuquerque metropolitan area and surrounding regions. This includes all of Bernalillo County, Sandoval County, Santa Fe County, and Valencia County, as well as portions of San Juan County, McKinley County, Rio Arriba County, and other adjacent areas.[2][7] The service area features diverse terrain, ranging from the urban expanses of Albuquerque to the high deserts and mountains around Santa Fe and Farmington.[8] Major population centers within the 505 area code include Albuquerque, with a 2020 census population of 564,559; Rio Rancho, approximately 106,000; and Santa Fe, around 87,000. Other significant communities are Farmington (population about 46,000), Gallup (around 23,000), and Los Lunas (over 15,000).[2] The region supports a mix of urban, suburban, and rural locales, with key economic hubs in government, tourism, energy extraction, and federal installations like Los Alamos National Laboratory.[9] Demographically, the area code 505 numbering plan area had an estimated population of 1,433,749 as of recent data aggregation from census blocks.[2] This represents a substantial portion of New Mexico's total 2020 census population of 2,117,522, reflecting the concentration of residents in the central-northwest.[10] The demographic profile mirrors state trends, with significant Hispanic or Latino (around 48% statewide), White non-Hispanic (36%), and Native American (11%) populations, influenced by historical Spanish, Pueblo, and Navajo presences.[11] Urban areas like Albuquerque exhibit higher densities, while rural counties such as McKinley feature lower per-square-mile populations amid vast land areas.[12]Time Zone and Operational Details
Area code 505 operates within the Mountain Time Zone (MT), encompassing Mountain Standard Time (MST) during standard periods (UTC-7) and Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) during daylight saving time (UTC-6).[6] [1] The region observes daylight saving time, with clocks advancing one hour forward on the second Sunday in March (e.g., March 9, 2025, at 2:00 a.m. local time) and falling back one hour on the first Sunday in November (e.g., November 2, 2025, at 2:00 a.m. local time).[13] [14] This alignment applies uniformly across the service area, including major cities like Albuquerque and Santa Fe, without exceptions for localized non-observance within the code's boundaries.[2] As part of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), area code 505 requires mandatory 10-digit dialing for all local calls within its numbering plan area (NPA) and to the adjacent 575 area code, a practice implemented following the statewide split on October 6, 2007, to conserve numbering resources.[9] The format follows the standard NANP structure: +1-505-NXX-XXXX for international dialing, where NXX represents the central office code allocated by the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA).[9] No overlay codes currently exist for 505, maintaining it as a single-code NPA, though projections monitor exhaust risks due to population growth in central New Mexico.[1] Emergency services, including 911, remain accessible via traditional dialing, unaffected by the 10-digit requirement for non-emergency calls.[15]History
Establishment in the NANP (1947)
Area code 505 was assigned in 1947 as one of the original 86 numbering plan areas (NPAs) under the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), a system developed by AT&T and the Bell System to standardize direct long-distance dialing across the United States, Canada, and parts of the Caribbean by prefixing three-digit codes to seven-digit local telephone numbers.[5][16] The NANP's structure divided the continent into geographic regions aligned largely with state and provincial boundaries, with code assignments based on population density, existing telephone infrastructure, and projected traffic volumes to ensure efficient call routing via electromechanical switches.[17] New Mexico, as a sparsely populated state with limited urban centers, received 505 to cover its entire territory, reflecting the plan's prioritization of low-traffic areas with codes featuring even or zero middle digits for compatibility with early automatic dialing equipment.[1][18] Although the codes were established in 1947, widespread customer direct dialing under the NANP did not commence until November 1, 1951, with initial implementations limited to select routes; prior to this, operators continued handling long-distance connections using the new numbering framework internally.[19] The assignment of 505 to New Mexico ensured that all intrastate and interstate calls originating or terminating there could be routed systematically, marking the state's integration into a continent-wide automated telephony network that replaced fragmented regional systems.[7] This foundational setup supported New Mexico's growing telephone subscriber base, which numbered around 100,000 lines by the late 1940s, primarily concentrated in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.[3]Statewide Service and Growth (1947–2007)
Area code 505 served the entirety of New Mexico from its activation on October 1, 1947, as one of the 86 original codes in the North American Numbering Plan, enabling long-distance calling across the state's 121,590 square miles of varied terrain, from the Rio Grande Valley to remote high deserts.[1] Initially supporting a post-World War II population of roughly 531,000 residents concentrated in urban centers like Albuquerque and rural communities alike, the code accommodated early expansions in telephone infrastructure managed primarily by entities such as the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company.[20] New Mexico's population surged to 681,187 by 1950 and reached 1,819,046 by the 2000 census, fueled by federal investments in military installations like Los Alamos National Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, and energy sectors including uranium mining and oil production, which boosted residential and business line installations.[21] This demographic shift, coupled with rising household penetration rates—exceeding 90% by the 1970s nationally and similarly in New Mexico—strained available central office prefixes, as second lines, facsimile machines, and early data services proliferated from the 1980s onward.[22] By the late 1990s, rapid urbanization in the Albuquerque-Santa Fe corridor and statewide economic diversification intensified numbering demand, with the code's NXX allocations approaching capacity amid the transition to ten-digit dialing requirements under FCC mandates.[23] Relief planning culminated in a geographic split approved by the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, preserving 505 for northwestern and central regions while preparing eastern and southern areas for new codes, reflecting 60 years of sustained growth without prior overlays or splits.[3]2007 Split with Area Code 575
The split of area code 505 occurred due to projected exhaustion of available telephone numbers within the original numbering plan area, which had served the entire state of New Mexico since 1947.[1] By the mid-2000s, demand for new numbers, driven by population growth and increased telecommunications usage, necessitated relief measures under the North American Numbering Plan.[24] The North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) coordinated the geographic split, assigning area code 575 to the southeastern portion of the state while retaining 505 for the northwestern and central regions.[25] The split took effect on October 7, 2007, marking the introduction of 575 as the 333rd area code in service.[25] Under the plan, existing telephone numbers in the affected southeastern areas initially retained the 505 prefix, with a permissive dialing period allowing seven-digit local calls until mandatory ten-digit dialing was required.[26] New number assignments in the 575 region used the new code immediately, while customers changing service or adding lines in that area transitioned to 575.[27] This approach minimized disruption for established users but required updates for directories, businesses, and emergency services.[1] Post-split, 505 covered counties including Bernalillo (Albuquerque), Santa Fe, Sandoval, and San Juan (Farmington and Gallup), encompassing approximately the northwestern third of New Mexico.[4] In contrast, 575 served the remaining southeastern two-thirds, including Doña Ana (Las Cruces), Chaves (Roswell), Lea (Hobbs), and Otero (Alamogordo) counties, as well as eastern regions like Curry (Clovis).[25] The boundaries followed natural geographic divisions, such as the Rio Grande valley, to align with population centers and reduce cross-area confusion.[26] This division extended the usable capacity of both codes, postponing further relief until subsequent projections indicated potential future overlays.[28]Current Service Area
Major Cities and Communities
Albuquerque, the largest city in New Mexico and the primary urban center served by area code 505, is located in Bernalillo County with a population of 545,852 residents. As the state's economic and transportation hub, it hosts major industries including government, technology, and tourism, anchored by facilities like Kirtland Air Force Base and the University of New Mexico.[1][2] Santa Fe, the state capital situated in Santa Fe County, has a population of 67,947 and serves as a focal point for government, arts, and culture, drawing visitors to its historic adobe architecture and role as the seat of New Mexico's legislative and executive branches.[1][29] Rio Rancho, a rapidly growing suburb northwest of Albuquerque in Sandoval County, reports 87,521 residents and functions as a residential and commercial extension of the Albuquerque metropolitan area, with development spurred by proximity to Intel's semiconductor operations.[1][30] In northwestern New Mexico, Farmington in San Juan County has 45,877 inhabitants and acts as a commercial gateway to the Four Corners region, supporting energy extraction and agriculture amid Navajo Nation influences.[1][2] Gallup, located in McKinley County, is a key rail and highway junction along Interstate 40 and historic Route 66, with a diverse population tied to tourism, mining, and proximity to Native American communities including the Navajo and Zuni pueblos.[1][29] Smaller but significant communities include Los Lunas in Valencia County, a bedroom community for Albuquerque commuters; Los Alamos in Los Alamos County, home to the national laboratory focused on nuclear research; and Las Vegas in San Miguel County, noted for its educational institutions like New Mexico Highlands University. These areas collectively represent the dense population cores within the 505 overlay, contrasting with sparser rural locales.[30][29]Counties and Regions Served
Area code 505 serves north-central and northwestern New Mexico, covering portions of nine counties: Bernalillo, Cibola, Los Alamos, McKinley, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, San Juan, Santa Fe, and Valencia.[31][1] This includes the Albuquerque metropolitan area, which spans Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, as well as adjacent regions.[6] The numbering plan area boundaries are defined by telephone exchange service areas rather than strict county lines, resulting in some counties being partially served.[2]| County | Major Communities Served |
|---|---|
| Bernalillo | Albuquerque, South Valley |
| Sandoval | Rio Rancho, Bernalillo, Corrales |
| Santa Fe | Santa Fe, Agua Fria |
| Valencia | Los Lunas |
| Rio Arriba | Española, Abiquiu |
| Los Alamos | Los Alamos |
| San Juan | Farmington |
| McKinley | Gallup |
| Cibola | Grants |