Area codes 518 and 838

Area codes 518 and 838 are telephone area codes serving the northeasternmost part of the "upstate" part of New York in the United States. 518 was established as one of the original area codes during 1947. 838 was added as an overlay during 2017. The two areacodes cover 24 counties and 1,200 ZIP Codes. There are 493 landline and 100 wireless exchanges served by 47 carriers. The numbering plan area they cover is the in size in New York, extending from the eastern Mohawk Valley to the Vermont border, and from the Canada–US border to south of Albany. The bulk of thise NPA's population is in the Capital District . Other cities in the NPA are Glens Falls, Plattsburgh, and Saratoga Springs.

518 is the only one of New York's original five NPAs that still has its original boundaries. Despite the presence of the Capital District and the proliferation of pagers and cellphones , it was one of the few remaining original area codes that had never been divided or overlaid. By the spring of 2016, however, 518 was on the verge of depletion, and it was projected that the region would need another area code by 2019 at the latest. By the autumn, however, it was anticipated that 518 would be depleted during the third quarter of 2017. An overlay area code, 838, was approved quickly, to be implemented during the autumn of 2017.

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