JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A new area code is on the way for Jacksonville. The 904 will soon share its territory with the 324.
The biggest thing that people need to be aware of is that starting Monday, they’ll need to dial 904 whenever they're making a local call.
That means folks may want to update some of their contacts to make sure they all have all 10 digits saved.
“I always put it in, just because I’m so used to it," said Olivia Cowart, who has a 904 area code on her phone.
There are two types of people in this world.
People like Olivia Cowart, who always dial the area code, and people like Malcolm Bloodsaw, who leave it out.
“I almost never do, mostly because it’s numbers I’ve already memorized or I know they live in Jax, so I’m just like, ‘Oop no, don’t need the 904," said Bloodsaw.
The creation of a new area code won’t have too much of an impact on Cowart, but Bloodsaw will need to get used to dialing the full 10 digits.
The Florida Public Service Commission is rolling out the 324 area code for Northeast Florida next month simply because the population has grown so much, that 904 is running out of available numbers.
“It’s cool to see that more people are coming into Jacksonville," said Cowart. "For that to happen, we need more spaces more numbers.”
If you already have a 904 number, you don’t need to worry about your number changing – it’ll stay the same.
You’ll just have to dial the area code anytime you make a call.
Let’s say your friend has the number 904-123-4567.
Previously, they’d be the only ones in the Jacksonville area with those last seven digits, so you wouldn’t need to dial the 904.
However, now it’s possible someone in the Jacksonville area could be assigned 324-123-4567, so you’d have to dial the area code to make sure you’re getting the right person.
Three-digit numbers like 9-1-1 and 2-1-1 won’t be impacted by the change.
“I was thinking about changing my number, but now I know that I’m never, ever going to change that. Yeah, got to keep it 904," said Cowart.
The first 324 numbers will start going out on Feb. 26.
You can find more information on the new area code here.