About North American Numbers
A source-cited atlas of North American area codes and the places behind them.
North American Numbers explains where an area code is, how it relates to its neighbours, and how it got here. It answers the questions people actually ask — “what place is 626?”, “why does Los Angeles have so many area codes?”, “what's the difference between 213 and 323?” — and backs every answer with a citation.
What this is — and isn't
This is the public, plain-language layer of a small network of numbering references. It is not a technical database, not a dictionary, and not a phone-number lookup service:
- For the underlying records — status, dates, prefix and block assignments, exhaust forecasts — see NumberResearch.org, which we read from directly and cite.
- For definitions of terms like overlay, NPA or portability, see NumberGlossary.com.
- We do not identify who owns or is calling from a number. An area code tells you where a number was assigned, not who holds it today.
How it's made — honestly
Area-code status, dates and counts are read directly from NumberResearch's public data. The place, relationship and history material — which cities a code covers, whether a change was a split or an overlay, when each event happened — is compiled by us from primary and secondary sources with AI assistance, then checked by a named editor against those sources. Every page lists what it drew on and when it was last checked.
We do not claim these pages are written by telecom experts, and we do not present a check date as an independent expert review. What we claim is narrower and, we think, more useful: every statement is traceable to a cited source and open to correction. Where a fact rests on a secondary source, or we could not confirm it against a primary record, we say so on the page. See our Methodology and AI Use Policy.
Who is responsible
The publication has a named, real editor who is accountable for source verification, editorial review and corrections — see the Editor page. It is published by GreatNumber LLC as part of a disclosed network of numbering references; see Ownership & Funding. Found an error? Please tell us — corrections@northamericannumbers.org — and see our Corrections policy.
Facts on this site are licensed CC BY 4.0 — attribute NorthAmericanNumbers.org. Underlying data originates from NANPA, CNAC, the CPUC and the FCC.