View source for Area codes 503 and 971

{{short description|Area codes in northwestern Oregon, United States}}
{{redirects|Area code 503|the country code 503|Telephone numbers in El Salvador}}
[[File:Oregon Area Codes 503 & 971.PNG|thumb|{{legend|#FF0000|Area codes 503 and 971}}]]
'''Area codes 503 and 971''' are telephone [[area code]]s in the [[North American Numbering Plan]] (NANP) for the northwestern region of the [[U.S. state]] of [[Oregon]]. The numbering plan area (NPA) comprises the cities of [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], [[Salem, Oregon|Salem]], and [[Astoria, Oregon|Astoria]]. Area code 503 was one of the [[original North American area codes]] of 1947, assigned to the entire state until 1995, when its extent was reduced to the northwestern corner. Area code 971 was assigned to the service area in stages, completed in 2008, to form an [[overlay plan|overlay]] in the area with [[ten-digit dialing]].

==History==
In the initial configuration of the nationwide [[telephone numbering plan]] designed by [[AT&T]] in 1947,<ref name="mabbs1947">{{cite journal |last1=Mabbs |first1=Ralph |title=Nation-Wide Operator Toll Dialing—the Coming Way |journal=Bell Telephone Magazine |date=Winter 1947–1948 |volume=26 |issue=4 |page=181 |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_bell-telephone-magazine_winter-1947-1948_26_4/page/n5/ |access-date=2023-08-10}}</ref> the state of Oregon was assigned a single area code, 503. Despite Oregon's growth in the second half of the twentieth century, particularly in the [[Willamette Valley]] (Portland and [[Eugene, Oregon|Eugene]]), this remained so for 48 years, making Oregon one of the largest states by area with a single area code. By the early 1990s, the proliferation of cell phones and pagers, particularly in the Portland area, put this status in jeopardy with the threat of exhaustion of the telephone numbering pool. 

On November 5, 1995, the numbering plan area was reduced to the more densely populated northwestern corner of the state, including Portland. The rest of the state received the new [[area code 541]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nanpa.com/pdf/old_pl/IL%2095-05-007.pdf|title=Split of 503 (Oregon) Numbering Plan Area (NPA)|date=May 19, 1995|access-date=May 25, 2012|publisher=[[North American Numbering Plan Administration]]}}</ref>

Although this was intended as a long-term solution, the Portland area remained home to the great majority of Oregon's landlines, as well as most of its cell phones and pagers, the area continued to experience a shortage in telephone numbers. Within three years, further relief planning commenced. On July 1, 1999, area code 971 was created as a concentrated overlay for most of the numbering plan area, with the exceptions of [[Clatsop County, Oregon|Clatsop]] and [[Tillamook County, Oregon|Tillamook]] counties.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nanpa.com/pdf/pl-nanp-182.pdf|title=Concentrated Overlay of 503 Numbering Plan Area (NPA) with 971 NPA|date=July 21, 1999|access-date=May 25, 2012|publisher=North American Numbering Plan Administration}}</ref> Initially, [[ten-digit dialing]] was to become mandatory in that service area on January 30, 2000, but the date was extended until October 1, 2000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nanpa.com/pdf/pl-nanp-203.pdf|title=Permissive Dialing Extended for the 503/971 Concentrated Overlay (Oregon)|date=December 10, 1999|access-date=May 25, 2012|publisher=North American Numbering Plan Administration}}</ref> 

The previously exempted Clatsop and Tillamook counties were added to the overlay on April 27, 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nanpa.com/pdf/PL_359.pdf|title=Expansion of the Concentrated NPA 971 Overlay with NPA 503 (Oregon)|date=December 21, 2006|access-date=May 25, 2012|publisher=North American Numbering Plan Administration|archive-date=November 26, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126154543/http://nanpa.com/pdf/PL_359.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Service area ==
The service area includes the following counties:
* [[Clackamas County, Oregon|Clackamas County]]
* [[Clatsop County, Oregon|Clatsop County]]
* [[Columbia County, Oregon|Columbia County]]
* [[Linn County, Oregon|Linn County]] (far northern parts, including [[Scio, Oregon|Scio]], [[Lyons, Oregon|Lyons]], and [[Mill City, Oregon|Mill City]])
* [[Marion County, Oregon|Marion County]] (except southernmost parts around [[Jefferson, Oregon|Jefferson]])
* [[Multnomah County, Oregon|Multnomah County]]
* [[Polk County, Oregon|Polk County]]
* [[Tillamook County, Oregon|Tillamook County]]
* [[Washington County, Oregon|Washington County]]
* [[Yamhill County, Oregon|Yamhill County]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Area_code_footer|Map=OR}}

{{Area code box | State = OR | This = area codes 503/971 
| N = [[area code 360|360]]/[[area code 564|564]]
| S = [[area codes 541 and 458|458/541]]
| E = [[area codes 541 and 458|458/541]]
| W = [[Pacific Ocean]]
| S1 = WA}}

{{coord|45.5|-123|type:landmark_region:US-OR_dim:200km_scale:2000000|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Area codes 503 And 971}}
[[Category:1947 establishments in Oregon]]
[[Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 1947]]
[[Category:Area codes in Oregon|503]]
[[Category:Area codes in the United States|503]]