You’ve probably heard the stories about the 503 area code, but do you know where it’s located? Or what time zone it’s in? Or whether to trust an unfamiliar number with the 503 area code? Check out our guide to everything you need to know about this phone number and its associated location, from who’s calling you to how to find out if it’s a scam or not.
503 Area Code
Area code 503 is the original area code created by the North American Numbering Plan for the northwestern region of Oregon, U.S. The 503 area code covers the major cities like Portland, Salem, and Astoria of Oregon state. Area code 971 is also covering the northwest sides of Oregon states.
The 503 area code follows the pacific timezone which is also known as America/Lost_Angeles. Today there are nearly 50 million active phone numbers available for use within these 16 counties of northwestern Oregon state including Portland.
Several telemarketing companies claim to provide information about businesses or individuals with the phone number (or partial phone number) and then charge high fees to provide more information. These types of calls should be ignored because they can be outright scams or just outright spam attempts.
History Of 503 Area Code
The 503 area code is one of the original North American area codes created by AT&T and North American Numbering Plan “NANP” in 1947. Area code 503 was covering all the numbers of the northwestern side of Oregon and especially Portland city.
On November 5, 1995, the population of Oregon’s land was increasing, and solely 503 area code was not enough to meet everyone’s need. There NANP created a new area code 541 to cover other counties.
There was a problem in Oregon because the majority of landlines were covered by the area code 503 and the directory of 503 area code was near an end. Due to the problem mentioned above, NANP created 971 area code on July 1, 1999.
Area Code 971 is a single overlay of area code 503 which was created in 2008 to serve the exact area. Since 2000, the numbers of the telephone changed to ten-digit dialing.
Area Codes Near 503 Area Code
Some area codes are neighbors of the area code 503. The names of area codes are:
- Area Code 360/564 (Vancouver, WA)
- Area Code 509 (Spokane, WA)
- Area Code 458/541 (Eugene, OR)
- Area Code 503/971 (Portland, OR)
Read more to know how many counties are there in the network of 503 area code?
503 Area Code Used In County
Washington is a popular county in the United States. Washington County is under the Oregon state. 503 area code covers Washington’s northwestern side. We are going to share the names of 12 counties in Oregon. The names of counties are:
- Washington, OR
- Clackamas, OR
- Marion, OR
- Yamhill, OR
- Multnomah, OR
- Polk, OR
- Clatsop, OR
- Tillamook, OR
- Wasco, OR
- Jefferson, OR
- Linn, OR
- Columbia, OR
Do you know that the % of 503 area code in Washington, OR is about 8%?
503 Area Code Used In Cities
The area code 503 mostly covers Portland for numbering. Other cities use the 503 area code. We are going to share the names of fifty cities that use 503 area codes. The names of cities in Oregon that uses 503 area codes are:
- Portland, OR
- Salem, OR
- Hillsboro, OR
- Gresham, OR
- Aloha, OR
- Beaverton, OR
- Lake Oswego, OR
- Tigard, OR
- McMinnville, OR
- Keizer, OR
- Tualatin, OR
- West Linn, OR
- Oregon City, OR
- Woodburn, OR
- Forest Grove, OR
- Newberg, OR
- Bethany, OR
- Hayesville, OR
- Wilsonville, OR
- Oak Grove, OR
- Sherwood, OR
- Four Corners, OR
- Troutdale, OR
- Canby, OR
- Four Corners, OR
- Cedar Mill, OR
- Dallas, OR
- Happy Valley, OR
- St. Helens, OR
- Oatfield, OR
- Gladstone, OR
- Cornelius, OR
- Oak Hills, OR
- Damascus, OR
- Monmouth, OR
- Sandy, OR
- West Slope, OR
- Scappoose, OR
- Garden Home0Whitford, OR
- Jennings Lodge, OR
- Stayton, OR
- West Haven-Sylvan, OR
- Molalla, OR
- Cedar Hills, OR
- Independence, OR
- Fairview, OR
- Bull Mountain, OR
- Silverton, OR
- Rockcreek, OR
- Astoria, OR
Portland’s population is 583,776 and % of 503 area code is about 2%.
Telephone Carriers That Uses 503 Area Code
North American Numbering Plan creates an issue area codes to states of the United States and Canada. You can use area codes through telecommunication carriers. There are two types of telephone carriers:
- Landline Carriers
- Wireless Carriers
99% of the 503 area code is assigned to telephone carriers. We are going to enlist the names of landline and wireless in the upcoming headline.
Landline Carriers
The landline carrier’s prefixes are distributed to different companies. The name of companies are:
- Qwest Corporation uses 28% prefixes
- Integra Telecom use 5% of the 503 area code’s prefix
- Frontier Northwest contains a 14% prefix
- Teleport uses a 4% prefix of the area code 503
- Micmetro Access Transmission Services use a 3% prefix
- TW Telecom uses 3%
- Global Crossing Local Services, inc uses 2% of 503 area code
- Other companies use 14% prefix of 503 area code
Wireless Carriers
- Cingular contains 7% prefix of 503 area code
- Verizon Wireless uses a 7% prefix of 503 area code
- Sprint also has the prefix of the area code 503
- USA Mobility Wireless has a 3% prefix
- Cricket wireless companies have 2% prefixes
- Other wireless companies use 1% of 503 area code
Scamming Through 503 Area Code
The 503 area code is located in Oregon. It is a City Code (or a Trunk Route) within an NPA of 971 and has a defined service area. In general, you can use the 503 area code if you are in or around Portland, Salem, or anywhere else in Oregon. Oftentimes, callers scam you by calling from a different number and asking for your personal information.
You can experience unusual activity if someone is calling you from 503 area code and asking for your bank account number, credit/debit card number, social security number, etc. If anyone is asking you about your details, don’t tell them.
There is a chance that they are scamming you. If they told you that they are from law enforcement agencies, keep in mind that they already have your detail. Why does government need your details? So don’t reveal your information to an unknown caller.
How To Block Calls Coming From 503 Area Code?
You can block calls very easily if you are using landline carriers. Call your service provider and block the unwanted number. If you are using iPhone or Android phone, you can block numbers from your phone. We are going to share the steps to keep reading.
Android
- Check your recent call.
- Tap on the number’s “details.”
- Check the “block number” option.
- Android phone will block the number.
iPhone
- Select the number from recent calls.
- Check the “i” option on the number.
- Select the option “block this caller.”
- iPhone will block the number.
Is 503 Area Code A Toll-Free Number?
No. The phone number prefix (503) is not a toll-free telephone area code. Yes, it is true that in Oregon, there are companies to reach consumers. But it charges them calling charges according to the service provider.
Your telephone carrier will charge you if you are calling on the number that is using the 503 area code. So just call when you need to.
Conclusion – 503 Area Code
The phone area code 503 (503) is located in NW Oregon. The area code 503 uses wireless and telephone carriers. Some scammers will try to scam you by calling you and asking for your details.
Do a reverse phone lookup strategy or search them online. A little background research is always better than getting scammed. A major point that you should never forget is that the 503 area code is not a toll-free number. Don’t waste your money by calling on the numbers without any reason.
You can comment to us with any query or suggestion. Meanwhile, check our blogs “What Cannot Be Used To Dry Utensils“, “516 Area Code“, and “When Was Running Invented“.