what area code is 206

The area code 206 is for Seattle, WA and the surrounding areas. It serves King County, Kitsap County, and the cities of Seattle, Shoreline, Burien, SeaTac, Mercer Island, and more. The area code was one of the original North American area codes assigned in 1947, when it served the entire state of Washington. In 1957, area code 509 was assigned for the eastern two-thirds of Washington in a flash-cut, with the split roughly following the Cascade Mountains. Despite western Washingtons growth in the second half of the 20th century, this configuration remained in place for 38 years. By the start of the 1990s, however, 206 was nearing exhaustion of central office codes from proliferation of cell phones, pagers, and fax machines. On January 15, 1995, most of the old 206 territory outside of the Seattle/Tacoma area was split off as area code 360.