205 Area Code

Area code 205 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the central part of Alabama. It primarily serves Birmingham, but has expanded into surrounding suburbs including Tuscaloosa, Jasper, Cullman, Bessemer and Anniston. Currently is serves roughly 650,000 people.

History

The 205 area code was one of the original 86 numbering plan areas established in 1947 when the NANP was implemented. It originally covered all of Alabama until 1995 when much of northern and western Alabama were split off to form area codes 256 and 938. In 1998 it was reduced even further with nearby counties and cities being assigned to 334, which now covers most of southern Alabama.

Despite multiple splits over the years, 205 remains one of the most popular and busiest number exchanges in terms of call volume due to its proximity to major cities like Atlanta and Nashville as well as in state regional hubs like Huntsville and Montgomery.

Timezone of Area Code 205

Alabama is on Central time.

Every County That Uses Area Code 205

Every City That Uses Area Code 205

Every Zip Code in Alabama That Uses Area Code 205

In 2019, AT&T implemented an overlay area code to make sure there were enough numbers available to counties that used area code 205. This new one, 659, caused a bit of a headache as residents couldn’t dial directly anymore and had to start adding 205 to call people locally. Today you can still request a 205 number if you prefer.