AI Receptionist with
205 Area Code
for Birmingham Businesses

Area code 205 serves central and western Alabama, including Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. Established in 1947, it was Alabama's original area code. The 659 overlay now serves the same region. Over 1.2 million residents use these codes.

Area code 205 holds a special place in telecommunications history as one of the original 86 area codes established on October 1, 1947, under the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). For nearly five decades, 205 served the entire state of Alabama, from the Tennessee Valley in the north to the Gulf Coast in the south. As Alabama's population grew and telecommunications technology evolved—particularly with the explosion of mobile phones, pagers, and fax machines in the 1990s—the demand for phone numbers skyrocketed. This led to a series of strategic splits: first 334 in 1995 for southeastern Alabama, then 256 in 1998 for northern Alabama, and finally 251 in 2001 for the Mobile region. By the late 2010s, even the reduced 205 territory faced number exhaustion. Rather than another disruptive split, the Alabama Public Service Commission approved an overlay solution. Area code 659 was introduced in 2020, covering the exact same geographic area as 205. This overlay approach preserved existing numbers while ensuring a sustainable supply for future growth. Today, both 205 and 659 serve Alabama's most populous region, anchored by Birmingham, the state's economic and cultural hub.