NORFOLK, Va. — The 757 now officially has a second area code: 948. With this new area code in Hampton Roads comes a new way to dial numbers.
The 757 area code, launched back in 1996 by splitting off from central Virginia's 804 area code, created a new identity for Hampton Roads. Now, a new area code will make its presence known.
"The State Corporation Commission in February 2020 approved a plan to phase the new 948 area code into the existing 757 area code region," said State Corporation Commission Communications Specialist Ford Carson.
The 757 area code isn't disappearing, but having a second area code will keep the area from running out of numbers as the population grows.
You may have already noticed a change: beginning last month, people living in Hampton Roads began needing to dial all 10 digits of a local phone number for a call to go through.
Now starting Monday, May 9, newly assigned phone numbers may begin with "948" instead of "757".
Carson said with the new area code on the way, there won't be a need for another anytime soon. Any existing numbers with the 757 area code won't change throughout this transition.