442 Area Code
| State: | California |
| Top City: | Oceanside |
| Timezone: | Pacific |
| Current Time: |
Where is Area Code 442 located?
Area code 442 is located in the state of California, United States. It is an overlay area code that serves the same geographic area as area code 760.
The 442 area code covers cities and communities in the southern part of California, including areas such as San Diego, Oceanside, Escondido, Carlsbad, and Temecula.
442 Area Code Time Zone
Area code 442 follows the Pacific Time Zone (PT). The current local time in area code 442 is .
History of 442 Area Code
The history of 442 area code is closely related to the history of 760 area code, which covers a large portion of southeastern and southernmost California. Area code 760 was created on March 22, 1997, as a split from area code 619, which had been split from area code 714 in 1982.
However, due to the rapid growth of population and communication devices in the region, area code 760 soon faced exhaustion and needed a new area code to serve the area. Initially, the plan was to split the area code 760 into two parts, with San Diego and Imperial counties moving to a new 442 area code.
But this proposal met with strong opposition from businesses and residents who did not want to change their numbers for the second time in a decade. Therefore, the California Public Utilities Commission decided that area code 442 would be added as an overlay to area code 760 instead, and implemented mandatory ten-digit dialing for all local calls within the area. Area code 442 became effective on November 21, 2009, and is now serving the same region as area code 760.
Top Counties in Area Code 442
| County | Population |
| San Diego | 3,371,771 |
| San Bernardino | 2,201,663 |
| Riverside | 2,518,027 |
| Kern | 901,362 |
| Imperial | 181,827 |
Top 10 Cities in Area Code 442
| City | Population |
| Oceanside | 167,086 |
| Escondido | 143,911 |
| Carlsbad | 105,328 |
| Victorville | 115,903 |
| Hesperia | 90,173 |
| Vista | 93,834 |
| El Centro | 42,598 |
| Indio | 76,036 |
| Cathedral City | 51,200 |
| Palm Desert | 48,445 |
Top Telephone Carriers
| Landline | Wireless |
| AT&T | Verizon |
| Frontier | T-Mobile |
| Spectrum | AT&T |
| Cox | Sprint |
| Vonage | MetroPCS |