Area code 320

A map of Minnesota area codes. Area code 320 is in light brown.

Area code 320 is the telephone numbering plan code covering most of central Minnesota, excluding the Twin Cities metro. It was the fourth Minnesota area code, and the first new one in the state in 42 years. It was created in 1996 by carving out of the western part of area code 612, which originally stretched border-to-border from Wisconsin through the Twin Cities to South Dakota.

It had been obvious for some time that 612 would need to be split due to the Twin Cities' rapid growth. However, the split was hastened by the proliferation of cell phones, pagers, fax machines and dial-up Internet access. The Twin Cities region retained 612, with St. Cloud, Alexandria, and Willmar switching to 320.

More recently, the 612 area shrank to include only Minneapolis and a few inner suburbs. 320 now borders every Minnesota area code except 612. Area code 651 split from 612 in 1998. The 651 area borders Wisconsin, while area codes 763 and 952 were split from 612 in 2000. Area code 218 borders 320 to the north, and area code 507 covers southern Minnesota.

Cities and communities in the 320

See also

• List of North American area codes

External links

• NANPA: Minnesota area code map
• List of exchanges from AreaCodeDownload.com, 320 Area Code