Area code 804
An area code is considered to be as relevant as the zip code of a place. The areas which stand for a particular telephonic area code are known as their Numbering Plan Area. The concept of area codes was not known in the United States of America or Canada till the 1947. It was brought into that part of the world by AT&T and Bell Laboratories. The concept was conceived in 1940 and was put into action in the year 1947 with the formation of 86 area codes.
Usually, a telephonic area code does not begin in the digits 1 or 0. The reason being, these digits are basically used as prefix to the North American long distance calls, operator assistance, or feature codes. Till 1995, these telephone area codes had the digits 0 or 1 in the middle of the numbers. But, in the year 1995 a number of new codes were introduced that had the digits from 2 to 8. Initially, it was a rule that the area codes would not end in the digit '0'. This limitation was gradually withdrawn due to several advances introduced in the telephone switching technology.
Area code 804 was formed on, 24 June 1973. The code was formed as a result of the split of the area code 703. However an official permissive dialing period ending on January 1, 1974 was granted to the public. The telephone code 804 split itself on July 1, 1997 to create new telephone area code 757. On June 1, 2001, it split again and created area code 434.
The telephone area code 804 is a North American code that serves the state of Virginia The communities of Glen Allen, Chester, Mechanicsville, Hopewell, Richmond, , Petersburg, West Point, Tuckahoe, and a few regions in the eastern Central Virginia, Middle Peninsula, and the Northern Neck are also included in the coverage of the area code 804. Though the southernmost counties on the Middle Peninsula are part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, they are allotted the code 804 and not the area code 757. However, area code 757 is used by the rest of parts of Hampton Roads.
The area code 804 is used by a number of telephone companies to provide their varied services like land line phones, cellular phones, high speed Internet connections, and cable networks. A few of these are Inmate Telephone Inc, Pembroke Telephone Cooperative, A & P Telephone Service, Farmstead Telephone Group Inco, Central Telephone Company Of Virginia, Buggs Island Telephone Cooperation, Hamlin Aviation Associates Inc, and Falcon Communications Solution.
As per the census of year 2000, the area code covers a population of 1, 175, 406. This includes a significant number of Hispanic, Asian, Hawaiian, and Indian citizens as well. Though the state of Virginia is served by other area codes like 276, 434, 540, 757, 703, and 571, the code 804 alone covers 43 counties. Some of them are Amelia, Bedford, Brunswick, Buckingham, Caroline, Charles City, Chesterfield, and Colonial Heights City. More than 160 cities, which include Achilles, Amelia Court House, Arvonia, Ashland, Aylett, Bealeton, Beaumont, Beaverdam, and Bedford are covered by the area code 804.