North American area code 505 is a

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into el ...

area code A telephone numbering plan is a type of numbering scheme used in telecommunication to assign telephone numbers to subscriber telephones or other telephony endpoints. Telephone numbers are the addresses of participants in a telephone network, re ...

which was one of the original area codes established in October 1947. Until October 7, 2007, it covered the entire state of New Mexico. It serves the northwestern and central portions of the state, including the

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding i ...

metropolitan area,

Gallup Gallup may refer to: *Gallup, Inc., a firm founded by George Gallup, well known for its opinion poll *Gallup (surname), a surname *Gallup, New Mexico, a city in New Mexico, United States **Gallup station, an Amtrak train in downtown Gallup, New Me ...

, Santa Fe, and

Farmington Farmington may refer to: Places Canada *Farmington, British Columbia *Farmington, Nova Scotia (disambiguation) United States * Farmington, Arkansas *Farmington, California * Farmington, Connecticut *Farmington, Delaware * Farmington, Georgia ...

. Due to the increasing demand for new numbers, area code 505 was split on October 7, 2007. Northwestern and central New Mexico continued to be served by the 505 area code, while the remainder of the state switched to area code 575. The issue was decided in 2006 by vote of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, with a 3–2 majority in favor of allowing the Albuquerque area to keep the old area code. The question of how to implement a new area code was a contentious one. The need for a new code had been clear since at least 2000, but the PRC's initial votes for Albuquerque and Santa Fe to switch to a new area code and the rest of the state to keep the old 505 area code (including the Farmington and Gallup areas that are now part of the current 505 area code) were met with vocal opposition. Amid heightening tensions between the urban and rural areas of the state, the commission eventually chose to put off the decision until 2006 after

number pooling Number pooling is a method of reallocating telephony numbering space in the North American Numbering Plan, primarily in growth areas in the United States. Instead of allocating blocks of ten thousand numbers to each carrier in each community, a bl ...

made the immediate addition of a new code unnecessary. Prior to October 2021, area code 505 had telephone numbers assigned for the central office code 988. In 2020, ''988'' was designated nationwide as a dialing code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which created a conflict for exchanges that permit seven-digit dialing. This area code was therefore scheduled to transition to ten-digit dialing by October 24, 2021. "The 505" (a reference to the area code for New Mexico) is a slang term indicating the state of New Mexico.

References

# NANPA publication PL 358, (December 21, 2006
NPA 505 Split, Creating NPA 575 (New Mexico)
(PDF) # Amadeo, Michael (November 9, 2006)
"Metro area to keep 505 area code."
''The Albuquerque Tribune''. # (March 16, 2000). "2nd area code on its way to busy N.M. phone lines." ''Albuquerque Journal''. # Rayburn, Rosalie (June 2, 2001). "Regulators Get Death Threats for Area-Code Vote." ''Albuquerque Journal''. # Rayburn, Rosalie (July 14, 2002). "Deadline For 505 Extended." ''Albuquerque Journal''.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Area Code 505

505 Year 505 ( DV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Theodorus and Sabinianus (or, less frequently, year 1258 ''Ab urbe ...

Telecommunications-related introductions in 1947