Area codes 619 and 858 are telephonearea codes in theNorth American Numbering Plan (NANP) for most ofSan Diego County in theU.S. state ofCalifornia. Area code 619 was created by asplit ofarea code 714 in 1982. In 1999, a part of the 619numbering plan area was assigned area code 858 in northwest San Diego County. In 2019, the area code boundary between 619 and 858 was eliminated, creating anoverlay complex with the two area codes.
When theAmerican Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) devised the first nationwidetelephone numbering plan forOperator Toll Dialing in 1947, California was divided into three numbering plan areas, which were reorganized geographically in 1950. The first area code split became necessary in 1951, when most of the southern and eastern portion, including San Diego and most of Orange County, was assigned area code 714. In 1982, 714 was split and almost all of the southernmost portion of California, fromSan Diego to theNevada border received area code 619, the first new area code in California since 1959, when707 was added.
On March 23, 1997, most of outer northern San Diego County, desert areas and geographical areas in southeastern California were removed from the numbering plan area by a split forarea code 760.
On June 30, 1998, the NANPA approved a request by the California Public Utilities Commission for a two-phase three-way split of 619 such that the first phase would introduce the new 858 area code tonorthwest San Diego County on June 12, 1999, after which thesouthern andeastern parts of the county would be split off into a new 935 area code on June 10, 2000,[1] leaving the remaining portion of 619 to serve almost exclusively the city of San Diego. However, after the 858 phase of the split, popular and political opposition throughout the country regarding the large number of area code splits being scheduled forced the NANPA to implement 1000-block number pooling, which effectively extended the life of the remaining portion of 619, and the 935 phase of the split was cancelled.[2]
In response to projections that 619 would exhaust its central office prefixes in March 2019, theCalifornia Public Utilities Commission approved a relief plan that eliminated the 619/858 boundary, turning 619 and 858 into overlay area codes for all of the inner portion of San Diego County. This change took effect in June 2018; at that time, ten-digit local calling became mandatory.[3] At the time, 858 was not projected to exhaust for at least thirty years, despite North County's continued growth.[4] Under the most recent projections, San Diego will not need relief until 2043.[5]
The service area includes the following cities and communities:
* Communities that are mostly or entirely withinSan Diego
† Incorporated cities within San Diego County
Professional wrestler and San Diego nativeRey Mysterio named his finishing move "The 619" after the area code.[6] A DVD featuring him is titledRey Mysterio: 619.[7] His entrance theme is called "Booyaka 619" and is performed by fellow San Diego nativesP.O.D.[citation needed]
Football playerReggie Bush explained why he painted the number 619 into his eyeblack during games: "When I do that, it's my way of keeping myself humble, of representing my hometown and letting them know I'm not going to forget where I came from."[8]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)| North:442/760 | ||
| West: Pacific Ocean,808 | 619/858 | East:442/760 |
| South: Country code52 in Mexico | ||
| Hawaii area codes:808 | ||