Area code 574
Prior to 2002, the northern third of Indiana had been served by area code 219 for 54 years. However, by the end of the 20th century, 219 was on the verge of exhaustion. It was decided to implement a three-way split of the 219 territory. As the result of a random drawing, the middle portion of the old 219 territory became 574. The eastern portion became area code 260, while Northwest Indiana retained 219. The area codes split on January 15, 2002, with permissive dialing continuing until June 14, 2002.
