New Area Code to Replace 845 in Hudson Valley Starting Next Year

Hudson Valley phone numbers are about to get way more complicated.

In 2000, the Hudson Valley was in an uproar after it was announced that the 914 area code was changing to 845. Now, another major area code change is coming to the Hudson Valley and it may turn out to be even more frustrating than last time.

As the millennium approached, cell phones were gaining in popularity and the region was quickly running out of phone numbers. As a result, Mid-Hudson counties were forced to give up the 914 area code and switch to 845. It was a major headache and many local residents thought we were getting the short end of the stick since Westchester was allowed to keep their phone numbers. Hudson Valley businesses were stuck with bearing the expense of changing signs, advertising, business cards, and other literature that became outdated.

If you were in the Hudson Valley when 914 split into 845 you probably remember how much of a headache it was. Remembering which friends were 914 or 845 was a chore, and those who had an 845 home number and a 914 cell phone were constantly confused over whether they had to use an area code or not.

Two decades later, the Hudson Valley has found itself in the same situation. With a growing population, 7-digit phone numbers are running out again. On Thursday the New York State Public Service Commission announced that Columbia, Delaware, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester Counties will all be getting a new area code.

The new 3-digit area code number has not been announced yet, but it will go into effect by the Fall of 2023. However, unlike the 914 and 845 split, the new area code will only be given out to new lines. Numbers currently starting with 845 will retain the same area code. That means that two businesses or homes right next to each other could have entirely different area codes.

Officials have somewhat already prepared the Hudson Valley for the change by forcing residents to start dialing a full ten-digit phone number when calling anyone, even if they're in the same area code. However, the new area code will now force businesses and residents to share their full ten-digit number instead of just seven digits because it will no longer be a given that the number will start with 845.

Commission Chair Rory M. Christian says the new area code has simply become a necessity, but one that should do the trick... for now.

I am confident that this new area code overlay will be able to address the needs of expanded telecommunication services in the mid-Hudson region in the years ahead.”

It's expected that the new area code will be able to provide enough new numbers to last just under 30 years.