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Area codes 210 and 726 are telephone overlayarea codes in theNorth American Numbering Plan (NANP) forSan Antonio and most of its innermost suburbs inBexar County in theU.S. state ofTexas.
Area code 210 was created in anarea code split of512 in 1992. After only a few years, the threat of exhaustion of central office codes forced a split in 1997. Most of the 210 numbering plan area outside of Bexar County was renumbered witharea code 830, which completely surrounded 210. Area code 726 was assigned to the same area in anoverlay complex, activated in 2017 to alleviate exhaustion concerns in 2018.
Area code 210 was created on November 1, 1992, in a split fromarea code 512. The new numbering plan area included the San Antonio area, most of theHill Country, and theRio Grande Valley. Before 1992, 512 had served the entire south-central portion of Texas since the area code system was instituted byAT&T in 1947; 512 was the last of Texas' original four area codes to be split. Conventional practice would have had San Antonio retaining 512, as it was the largest city. However, state regulators decided to allowAustin, the state capital, to retain 512 in order to spare state agencies the expense and disruption of having to change their numbers.
The 1992 split was intended to be a long-term solution in order to relieve exchanges in the Austin–San Antonio corridor. However, within four years, 210 was already close to exhaustion because of San Antonio's rapid growth and the popularity ofcellular telephones and pagers. This forced a three-way split, which took place on July 7, 1997. Most ofBexar County stayed in 210, while the San Antonio suburbs and the Hill Country were split off as area code 830. The southern portion, centered around the Rio Grande Valley, becamearea code 956. The 1997 split forced residents of San Antonio's suburban ring to change their numbers for the second time in a decade. It also made San Antonio one of the few cities split between two area codes. Some portions of San Antonio located inMedina andComal counties, as well as a few portions of Bexar County, moved to 830. However, because most of San Antonio and Bexar County are in the 210 area code, "210" has become part of the area's identity and culture.
Amid projections that 210 would exhaust by mid-2018, thePublic Utility Commission of Texas approved a new all-serviceoverlay. Planning for that new area code began in June 2015.[1][2][3] The new code, 726, was announced in August 2016, and went into effect in October 2017. Public education efforts about the upcoming change commenced in September 2016. Permissive dialing of both seven and ten-digit numbers began in March 2017, and became mandatory in late September of that year.
726 translates toSAN on the alphanumeric telephone keypad.
Area codes 210 and 726 serve most ofBexar and small portions ofAtascosa,Comal,Guadalupe,Medina, andWilson counties.
The numbering plan area includes the following cities and towns:Adkins,Alamo Heights,Artesia Wells,Atascosa,Castle Hills,Cibolo,Converse,Ecleto,Elmendorf,Helotes,Kirby,Leon Springs,Macdona,Olmos Park,Saint Hedwig,San Antonio,Shavano Park,Schertz,Terrell Hills,Universal City,Von Ormy,Wetmore, andWindcrest.
Area codes 210 and 726 areenclave area codes, similar toarea code 312 inChicago,area code 316 inWichita, Kansas,area codes 385/801 inSalt Lake City, Utah and412/878 inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in that it is completely surrounded byarea code 830.
| North:830 | ||
| West:830 | 210/726 | East:830 |
| South:830 |