Area code 912


Area code 912 is a US telephone area code serving the southeastern portion of the state of Georgia. It covers Savannah, Richmond Hill, Hinesville, Vidalia, Metter, Reidsville, Homerville, Waycross, Brunswick, Folkston, Douglas, Statesboro, Ludowici, Jesup and Kingsland.

History

Area code 912 was split from area code 404 in 1954. When it was created, it covered the entire southern half of the state, including the cities of Savannah, Macon, and Albany.
Despite the presence of Savannah and Macon, the southern half of Georgia is not nearly as densely populated as the north. As a result, while north Georgia went from one numbering plan area to three during the 1990s, 912 remained the sole area code for south Georgia for 46 years.
By the turn of the 3rd millennium, an impending number shortage made it apparent that south Georgia needed another area code. In addition to the proliferation of cell phones and pagers, portions of the 912 territory were in LATAs that extended into Florida and South Carolina. The Savannah LATA spills into Hilton Head Island and Beaufort, South Carolina while a portion of southwest Georgia is part of the Panama City, Florida LATA. As a result, several numbers in Hilton Head and Beaufort's 843 and Panama City's 850 weren't available for use.
On August 1, 2000, area code 912 was reduced to its current size in a three-way split, with Savannah and the eastern portion retaining 912. The western portion became area code 229, while the northern portion became area code 478. Permissive dialing continued throughout the old 912 territory until August 1, 2001.

Counties served

, Atkinson, Bacon, Brantley, Bryan, Bulloch, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, Coffee, Echols, Effingham, Emanuel, Evans, Glynn, Jeff Davis, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Montgomery, Pierce, Screven, Tattnall, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Ware, Wayne, and Wheeler.