The 916 area code is a telephone prefix in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) associated with Sacramento and its surrounding regions in northern California.
The 916 area code and its only overlay the prefix 279 serve a large portion of the Greater Sacramento metropolitan area, including Placer, Yolo, and El Dorado Counties and the municipalities of Sacramento, Elk Grove, Roseville, and Arden-Arcade.
For its part, the telephone network of California State is the largest network in the U.S. compounded for 34 numbering plan areas for the entire region.
1. History
By 1947, California State was originally divided into three dialing codes, the prefix 213 that covered Southern California including Los Angeles, the codification 415 surrounded the northern-central section, and the 916 area code assigned to the northern portion of the state except for Sacramento, which used to function with the number 415.
This initial assignation would changes three years later in 1950, as part of a realignment of California's area codes, redirecting the coverage radius of the 916 area code to northeastern California including Sacramento, and adding the prefix 415 to the Coastal area.
The dialing code 916 has been split off twice since its introduction; these divisions have reduced significantly its service area. The first time was on March 1, 1959, when the 707 area code emerged from the 415 and 916 codes, and the last one on November 1, 1997, with the activation of the number 530.
At the moment, codification 916 disposes of a single overlay, the 279 area code included in March 2018, as a long-term solution for the telephone numbers shortages.
Location
Admitted to the union on September 9, 1850, California is the most populous and the third-largest state of the country after Alaska and Texas, covering about 163,696 square miles. Divided into two main regions southern and northern California, this state delimits Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, and the Pacific Ocean.
On the other hand, Northern California is a cultural region constituted by 48 counties and 40 cities with more than 50k inhabitants. Also, this region comprises 3 state’s four extended metropolitan areas, San Francisco Bay Area, Greater Sacramento, and Metropolitan Fresno.
For its part, the Greater Sacramento is a combined statistical area, located in the Central Valley and the Sierra Nevada regions of California. This metro area is home to Sacramento that is the city-state capital. Plus, it's constituted by 7 counties in northern California, encompassing over 2.36 million people.
The 916 area code is located in the Pacific Time zone. This prefix contains 149 non-unique postal area zip codes and surrounds 1443.73 square miles.
Adjacent codes
California telephone service utilizes 34 dialing codes, being the most populous 760 area code serving over 5.7 million of the state's 39.5 million inhabitants. This prefix started running in 1997 and covers the southern portion of the state.
The most recent codes incorporated into the network are the 820 and 279 area codes, introduced in 2018. On the contrary, the oldest prefixes of California are the codes 916, 415, and 213, activated in 1947 as part of the 86 original codifications in the NANP.
On the other hand, the 530 area code runs in the northeastern section of California, covering 21 counties. This prefix is a split of the 916 code and it’s the only codification in its service area.
2. Most Important Cities in the 916 Area Code
Sacramento
Sacramento lies at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley. This city stands out as the capital of the state and the largest municipality of Sacramento County.
Incorporated on February 27, 1850, Sacramento is the seat and most populous city of the county and the 6th most populous of California with around 500k inhabitants.
This city is an important financial and educational hub, being home to California State University, Sacramento, and University of California, Davis; two of the most relevant educative centers of the province.
Covering a total area of 99.77square miles, this city encloses 100 non-unique ZIP codes.
Elk Grove
Incorporated as a city on July 1, 2000, Elk Grove is located just south of Sacramento city and sprawl across 42.20 square miles in Sacramento County.
Encompassing around 170k inhabitants, Elk Grove is the second-most populous municipality covered by the 916 area code and the 30th most populous city of California. Also, it is home to the Elk Grove Unified School District, which is the city's second-largest employer.
Elk Grove postal service is compounded by 4 non-unique ZIP codes: 95624, 95757, 95758, and 95759.
3. Other Important Locations and ZIP Codes of the 916 Area Code
Despite being the second-largest state in terms of population, California possesses 58 counties; 4 of them surrounded by the 916 area code:
- Sacramento County: covering around 994 square miles, Sacramento is the central county of the Greater Sacramento area. It encloses nearly 1.5 million residents, being the 8th most populous county of California. Located in the northern portion of the Central Valley, it possesses 131 ZIP codes.
- Placer County: incorporated on April 25, 1851, this county is the 22nd most populous of California with around 385kresidents. Its largest city is Roseville and its county seat the municipality of Auburn. Surrounding nearly 1,502 square miles, Placer County owns 29 Zip codes.
- Yolo County: this county is a rural agricultural region located in northern California. Incorporated on February 18, 1850, Yolo covers 1,024 square miles and disposes of 21 ZIP codes.
Main Postal and Shipping Services
- United States Postal Service, Sacramento, CA, +1 916-927-5102
- Downtown Mail & Shipping, Sacramento, CA, - +1 916-442-3734
- Mail & More, Elk Grove, CA, - +1 916-684-6245
- The UPS Store, Roseville, CA, - +1 916-773-8091
4. FAQs
How many area codes are there in Sacramento?
Sacramento just disposes of two codifications, the 916 area code and its overlay, the prefix 279
What is the most recent area code added to California?
The newest prefixes added to the California network are the 279 and 820 area codes, included in 2018.