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Area codes 706 and 762
View on Wikipedia | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2020) |
Area codes 706 and 762 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the northern and west central parts of Georgia, but excluding metropolitan Atlanta.
The numbering plan area (NPA) is divided into three disconnected geographical regions. A small section is in west-central Georgia, in the region around Columbus. This is bordered by area code 334 to the west in Alabama, area code 478 to the east, area code 229 to the south, and metro Atlanta's 404, 678, 770, and 470. It does not border the landline area of 404, only the cellphone area. Additionally, the Yatesville rate center is in area codes 706 and 762, but not adjacent to any other rate centers in 706/762.[1] The Yatesville rate center shares a small border with 770 to the north, but is almost surrounded by 478 to the south, east, and west.
The major section of 706 wraps around from Rome in northwest Georgia, east through the mountains past Dahlonega, meeting its narrowest point at Toccoa, then broadening south to Athens and Augusta. It touches Alabama's area code 256/938 and 334 on the far west, Tennessee's area code 423 on the northwest, North Carolina's area code 828 and Upstate South Carolina's area code 864 to the north-northeast, and midlands area codes 803 and 839 to the east, and middle Georgia's 478 and metro Atlanta as above.
History
[edit]When the North American Numbering Plan was created in 1947, the entire state of Georgia was assigned area code 404. On July 1, 1954, the southern portion of the state, from Macon southward, was split off with area code 912. Area code 404 was limited to the northern half of the state, from the Tennessee and North Carolina state lines as far south as Columbus and Augusta. This configuration remained in place for 38 years.
In 1992, almost all of the old 404 territory outside the Atlanta area was split off as area code 706. Originally, 706 consisted of a horseshoe-shaped region that completely wrapped around the inner ring of Atlanta. It also included a number of southern exurbs of Atlanta. However, the residents of these areas felt chagrin at no longer being associated with 404. Shortly after 706 commenced service, BellSouth returned several of these areas to 404. The boundary was redrawn in such a way that isolated Columbus and the surrounding area from the rest of the 706 territory, making 706 one of the few area codes that is not contiguous.
BellSouth and the Georgia Public Service Commission knew that due to Atlanta's explosive growth, 404 was still on the brink of exhaustion even after the creation of 706. They had already planned to introduce 770 as the area code for Atlanta's suburban ring later in the 1990s. However, the return of the southern exurbs forced the GPSC to put 770 into service in 1995, a few years sooner than planned.
In June 2005, the GPSC announced that 706 had nearly exhausted its capacity for new telephone exchange prefixes. On June 24, 2005, the NANPA assigned area code 762 for this purpose. However, the Columbus area was not large enough for its own area code, but was too large to stay in 706. For this reason, it was decided to make 762 an overlay, with permissive dialing allowed on September 3. On April 1, 2007, ten-digit dialing became mandatory in the 706/762 territory.
Despite the rapid growth in 706/762's main section (particularly the northern portion), it is nowhere near exhausting. Under current projections, it is expected to remain in its unusual, non-contiguous state until after 2049. [2]
Prior to 1990, area code 706 was used for dialing parts of the Baja California areas of Mexico from the United States.[3]
Service area
[edit]The 706/762 overlay serves the following counties: Banks, Burke (part with area code 478), Chattooga, Catoosa, Chattahoochee, Clarke, Columbia, Dade, Dawson, Elbert, Fannin, Franklin, Floyd, Gilmer, Glascock, Gordon, Greene, Habersham, Hancock, Harris, Hart, Heard, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson (part with area code 478), Jenkins, Lincoln, Lumpkin, Madison, McDuffie, Meriwether, Morgan, Murray, Muscogee, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Putnam, Rabun, Richmond, Stephens, Talbot, Taliaferro, Towns, Troup, Union, Upson (part with area code 478), Walker, Warren, White, Whitfield, and Wilkes
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "PL-346: NPA 762 to Overlay NPA 706 (Georgia)" (PDF). NANPA: North American Numbering Plan Administrator. NANPA. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
- ^ "NANPA Exhaust Projections 2019" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-02-21. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
- ^ Williams, Jack; Siringer, June (1986). The Magnificent Peninsula: The Only Absolutely Essential Guide to Mexico's Baja California. H.J. Williams Pub. p. 80. ISBN 978-0-9616843-0-3.
External links
[edit]- List of exchanges from AreaCodeDownload.com, 706 Area Code
- List of exchanges from AreaCodeDownload.com, 762 Area Code
| North: 423 | ||
| West: 256/938, 334 | 706/762 nearly completely surrounds 678/470/943 and 770 |
East: 864/821 |
| South: 229, 478 | ||
| Alabama area codes: 205/659, 251, 256/938, 334 | ||
| Tennessee area codes: 423, 615/629, 731, 865, 901, 931 | ||
| North Carolina area codes: 252, 336/743, 704/980, 828, 910/472, 919/984 | ||
| South Carolina area codes: 803/839, 843/854, 864/821 | ||
Area codes 706 and 762
View on GrokipediaHistory
Establishment of 706
Area code 404 was one of the original 86 area codes established under the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) in 1947, initially serving the entire state of Georgia.[9] This assignment reflected the early structure of the NANP, designed by AT&T to facilitate direct long-distance dialing across North America.[10] By the mid-20th century, population growth necessitated further division of the state's numbering resources. On July 1, 1954, area code 404 was split, with the southern portion of Georgia reassigned to the newly created area code 912, leaving 404 to cover northern Georgia, including the Atlanta metropolitan area.[11] This adjustment accommodated increasing telephone usage in the rapidly urbanizing north while preserving capacity in the less densely populated south.[12] The economic boom and population surge in northern Georgia during the 1980s accelerated telephone number demand, projecting the exhaust of available codes in area code 404 by the early 1990s.[13] To address this impending shortage, the North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA), established in 1991 to oversee NANP resources, approved a geographic split of 404 in 1992. Area code 706 was introduced on May 3, 1992, as the 141st area code in the NANP, specifically to relieve pressure on 404 by serving northern and west-central Georgia outside the Atlanta metro core.[3] The boundaries of 706 encompassed nearly all of the prior 404 territory except the city of Atlanta and its immediate suburbs, creating a horseshoe-shaped region around the retained 404 zone.[12] Implementation involved reassigning existing telephone numbers in the split areas to 706, with a transition period that permitted seven-digit dialing for local calls within affected regions until full ten-digit dialing became standard by the mid-1990s.[14] Initial assignments of central office codes in 706 saw immediate uptake, particularly in expanding urban centers outside Atlanta, reflecting the ongoing growth that necessitated the relief effort.[3] This split provided temporary capacity expansion, though further measures like the later 762 overlay would be required as demand continued.Introduction of 762 Overlay
By the late 1990s, area code 706, established in 1992 to serve a horseshoe-shaped region encircling the Atlanta metropolitan area, faced projected exhaustion due to rapid population growth in northern Georgia cities such as Athens and Dalton. Initial forecasts from the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) estimated depletion as early as October 2002, but the Georgia Public Service Commission (GPSC) implemented number conservation measures, including central office code rationing, which delayed the projected exhaust to the second quarter of 2005.[15][16] To avert the shortage while minimizing disruption to existing customers and avoiding the complexities of a geographic split in the irregularly shaped service area, the GPSC selected an all-services overlay as the relief method in 2005. This approach allowed the new code to serve the identical territory without requiring number changes or boundary adjustments. On June 24, 2005, NANPA assigned 762 as the overlay code following GPSC approval.[2][17] Implementation proceeded with a permissive dialing period starting September 1, 2005, during which callers could use either seven-digit or ten-digit formats for local calls within the region. Mandatory ten-digit dialing took effect on April 3, 2006, requiring all local calls to include the area code to accommodate both 706 and 762. Existing telephone numbers retained their 706 prefix, but new assignments were distributed between both codes without geographic restrictions.[2][8] The GPSC and telecommunications providers, including BellSouth, launched public education campaigns through mailings, media announcements, and bill inserts to prepare residents and businesses for the transition, highlighting that while no existing numbers would change, new 762 assignments might incur additional costs for certain services like directory assistance. The overlay ensured continued numbering availability, with 762 rapidly entering use in high-growth urban centers like Columbus following its introduction.[2][17]Service Coverage
Geographic Description
Area codes 706 and 762 serve northern and west-central Georgia, forming a horseshoe-shaped region that wraps around the Atlanta metropolitan area from the northwest to the east, with a separate non-contiguous portion around Columbus.[18] This coverage excludes the core Atlanta area served by area codes 404, 470, 678, 770, and 943, as well as southern Georgia covered by 229 and 912.[3] The region encompasses three informal sub-regions: a western portion around Columbus and LaGrange; a northwestern mountainous area including Rome and Dalton; and an eastern section stretching from Athens to Augusta.[19] It includes diverse terrain, including rural landscapes, urban developments, and Appalachian highlands. The area extends to Georgia's borders with Alabama to the west, Tennessee to the north, and South Carolina and North Carolina to the east and northeast, though it does not encompass border cities within those neighboring states.[3] Due to ongoing monitoring by the North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA), the region is projected to remain geographically unified with its current overlay structure of separate numbering pools until at least 2049.[20]Counties and Cities Served
Area codes 706 and 762 serve all or portions of 52 counties in northern and west-central Georgia, forming a broad region that excludes the core Atlanta metropolitan area but includes adjacent suburban and rural zones.[21] The counties include Banks, Bartow, Burke (partial), Catoosa, Chattahoochee, Chattooga, Clarke, Columbia, Dade, Dawson, Elbert, Fannin, Floyd, Franklin, Gilmer, Glascock, Gordon, Greene, Habersham, Hancock, Harris, Hart, Heard, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson (partial), Lincoln, Lumpkin, Madison, McDuffie, Meriwether, Morgan, Murray, Muscogee, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Pickens, Pike, Polk, Putnam, Rabun, Richmond, Stephens, Talbot, Taliaferro, Troup, Towns, Union, Upson (partial), Walker, Warren, White, Whitfield, and Wilkes.[21] These counties encompass diverse terrain from the Appalachian foothills in the north to the Piedmont plateau and fall line regions near the Savannah River, with partial coverage in Burke, Jefferson, and Upson counties shared with area code 478.[21] Major cities within the service area highlight the region's demographic and economic significance. The following table summarizes key population centers based on the 2020 United States Census:| City | County(ies) | 2020 Population |
|---|---|---|
| Augusta | Richmond | 202,081 |
| Columbus | Muscogee | 206,922 |
| Athens | Clarke | 127,315 |
| Gainesville | Hall | 42,296 |
| Rome | Floyd | 37,713 |
| Dalton | Whitfield | 34,417 |
| LaGrange | Troup | 30,858 |
| Calhoun | Gordon | 16,949 |