Section
Area Codes
Where an area code comes from, which state or metro it covers, and the split-and-overlay history behind it — not just which city it's in. Use the lookup below for an immediate answer, then open a guide for the full story.
Look up an area code
Type a three-digit area code or paste a US/Canada phone number — for example 212 or (415) 555-0100. DialWick reads the NANP prefix from your input using NANPA-derived registry data; it does not identify the caller or confirm the line is still active.
Toll-free codes (800, 888, 877, …) and geographic codes both work. This is not reverse phone lookup.
Index
01 ZIP Code vs Area Code: Mail Routing vs Phone Numbering A ZIP code routes US mail; an area code is the first three digits of a phone number. Who assigns each, how the digits work, and why one cannot predict another. 855 Is 855 Area Code Legit? Toll-Free vs Scam Calls 855 is a real North American toll-free code (like 800), not a geographic city code. How it opened, why businesses use it, and how to handle suspicious 855 callbacks. 202 Is 202 Area Code Spam? DC Numbers and Scam Signs 202 is the real Washington DC geographic code; 771 overlays the same District. Spoofed 202 Caller ID is common in scam pitches. Judge the pitch, not digits. 04 Every Texas Area Code, and the Overlay Stack Behind Each Metro Texas has 29 area codes today. Dallas alone stacks four on the same footprint. Here's the full list, plus how Houston, San Antonio, and Austin overlay theirs too. 05 All 41 California Area Codes, Plus the Family Tree Behind LA's Seven All 41 California area codes, mapped to region and year in service, plus how LA split and overlaid its way from one 1947 code, 213, to seven today. 06 Every Michigan Area Code, and the Split Tree Behind Detroit's Newest Michigan has 13 area codes today, seven descended from Detroit's original 313. Here's the full list, plus the split-and-overlay chain behind each one, including the newest, 679. 07 Every New Jersey Area Code, and the Day Three of Them Launched at Once New Jersey has 10 area codes today, all descended from a single statewide code assigned in 1947, including three overlays the state's utility board activated on the exact same day in 2001. 08 Every North Carolina Area Code, and the One About to Get Company North Carolina has 10 area codes today, all descended from the single code assigned to the whole state in 1947, and regulators are now weighing an overlay for the one region still running on just one. 09 How US Area Codes Actually Work A US phone number has three parts, not one. Here is what each part actually identifies, why New York got 212 specifically, and the real difference between a "split" and an "overlay." 10 Is There Really Such a Thing as a 'Scam Area Code'? Short answer: mostly no. Scammers fake your own area code ("neighbor spoofing"). The one real exception: ten NANP codes tied to the "one ring" scam. 312 Chicago Area Codes: 312, 773, 872, and How 312 Became an Island 312 used to cover all of Chicago and its suburbs. Two splits and an overlay later, it's an enclave, surrounded by 773, inside the same city. 12 New York City Area Codes: All Eight, Plus the Manhattan Block Wired Into the Bronx NYC runs on eight area codes split into two separate overlay stacks (one for Manhattan, one for the other four boroughs), except for the Manhattan neighborhood that uses neither. 404 Atlanta Area Codes: 404, 770, 678, 470, 943, and the Three That Stopped Taking New Numbers Atlanta runs on five area codes. Three, 404, 678, and 770, ran out of numbers to give out: existing lines still work, but nobody gets a new one from them. 305 Miami Area Codes: 305, 786, 645, and the 1947 Code That Once Covered All of Florida Miami-Dade and the Florida Keys share three overlapping area codes today. 305 is the original, dating to 1947, back when it covered the entire state of Florida, not just Miami. 702 Las Vegas Area Codes: 702, 725, and the Split That Sent the Rest of Nevada to 775 Las Vegas runs on two area codes today, 702 and 725, but 702 alone covered the entire state of Nevada for more than 50 years before growth split off everywhere outside Clark County. 212 Is 212 Still Used in NYC? 212 is still assigned in Manhattan alongside overlays 646 and 332. What changed since 1984, how 917 fits in, and why a Manhattan number can show more than one area code today.