What's the 704?

704 is the area code for Charlotte, North Carolina, and the region around it. Locals say it "seven-oh-four." It's one of the original area codes from 1947, and around here it's shorthand for home.

Where is the 704 area code?

The 704 covers Charlotte and all or part of about a dozen surrounding counties in the southern Piedmont, including Mecklenburg, Gaston, Cabarrus, Union, Iredell, Rowan, Lincoln, Cleveland and Stanly. Cities in the 704 include Gastonia, Concord, Kannapolis, Mooresville, Monroe, Salisbury and Statesville. Newer numbers in the same area may start with 980, which shares the region with 704.

A short history of the 704

1947: one code for the whole state. When AT&T rolled out the first area codes, North Carolina got just one: 704. It covered everything from the mountains to the Outer Banks. The 0 in the middle was the giveaway. In the original plan, a 0 in the middle meant the code covered an entire state.

1954: the east splits off. The eastern two-thirds of North Carolina, from Winston-Salem east, moved to area code 919. The 704 kept the western third of the state.

1998: the mountains get 828. The foothills and Blue Ridge split off into 828, and the 704 became the Charlotte region's code.

2000s: Charlotte outgrows it. As the region boomed, it started running out of numbers. Area code 980 was added as an overlay, so new numbers can start with either code, and local calls here need all 10 digits.

Why area codes look the way they do

The first area codes were built for rotary phones, where lower numbers dialed faster. The busiest places got the quickest codes: New York got 212, Los Angeles 213 and Chicago 312. North Carolina, far less populated in 1947, got 704. Today, the Charlotte region is one of the fastest-growing in the country.

Why we're called 704 Shop

Around here, the 704 is more than a phone number. It's how Charlotteans say where they're from. We've been making apparel for people who call the Queen City home since 2013, starting with our 704 Brand logo tees and hats.

Want more Charlotte history? Read the very first Fact Friday, on the history of the 704, and browse hundreds more stories in Fact Friday.