Maine Gets to Keep 207 as Its Only Area Code for Now

Maine is one of only 11 states in the country with just one area code. That's all Maine has ever needed since the area code was introduced by the Bell System in 1947, allowing people to make calls directly across the country without the assistance of an operator.

Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming, and Maine all have just one area code for now, but things may change in the future.

If you live in Maine, you are well aware that our area code is 207. News Center Maine has a show all about Maine called 207. There are tons of t-shirts for sale in gift shops and clothing stores across the state with the number '207', letting everyone know they are proud to be from Maine.

Since the invention of smartphones, everyone in a family has one, so everyone needs a number. Gone are the days when you had wired phones in your home, and all of them rang at once because you only had one phone number. Back before caller ID became standard, you didn't even know who was calling or who they wanted to speak to until you picked up and answered.

We're using more 207 numbers, and eventually, we're going to run out. But the Maine Public Utilities Commission announced on April 17, 2024 that we have more numbers than we thought.

It was originally thought we would run out of 207 numbers during the fourth quarter of 2025. Then we were told to make that the first quarter of 2027. Now, experts say that we won't run out of 207 numbers until 2033. These experts keep moving the goalpost.

But fear not. If you have a 207 area code, you're good for now. If and when we do run out of numbers, however, we may have to add two more numbers to our 10-digit numbers. Confused yet? Me too.