905 and 289 Area Codes
905 area code (with overlay Area code 289) is a telephone dialing area for south central Ontario. It includes the Niagara Peninsula, Hamilton, Oshawa, and the suburban Greater Toronto Area. It was first assigned in Canada in October 1993, as a split from area code 416.
905 overlays with area code 289. It surrounds Area code 416/647 (the city of Toronto) and is bounded with Area code 519/226 in the west, Area code 705 in the north and Area code 613 in the east. All numbers, after 2002, must be dialed with an area code, changing the number of digits for local telephone numbers from 7 to 10.
The incumbent local exchange carrier in 905/289 is Bell Canada, with the last independent company absorbed by Bell around 1980. A previous version of the area code was once used as a block of alternate numbers for calls from the United States to Mexico (+52-5-…) in the days when overseas calls otherwise would have needed to be placed through a telephone operator. This use became obsolete with the widespread introduction of direct dial overseas calls and was completely abolished no later than February 1, 1991. By October , the numbering plan area (NPA) had been assigned for use resultant from the geographical split of the area code. Some telecom insiders jokingly refer to this re-assigned NPA as “Taco Bell.”
Automatic number identification (ANI) on the NPA’s switching systems began transmission on October 11, 1992 for some central office codes, and full conversion was achieved by January 1, 1994.
Only five years after its introduction, and with the proliferation of cell phones, fax lines, and secondary phone lines for home dial-up internet use, the NPA was exhausting numbers at a much faster rate than anticipated. By 1999, the CRTC had established an ad-hoc committee to study NPA relief planning for area code 905. A split of the 905 NPA was considered, with various options presented:
* a geographic split by municipality (either two-way or three-way)
* a geographic split of concentric rings around Toronto
* re-aligning NPA boundaries (some areas retain 905, others acquire a new NPA); that is, a municipality and exchange split
* a distributed overlay
The first three options would allow for either 7- or 10-digit dialing, whereas the last required 10-digit dialing exclusively. The last option was chosen because it was easier to implement technically, and required no changes for existing customers in the 905 area. The 289 NPA overlay was approved by the CRTC on August 15, 2000 (Order CRTC 2000-772), came into service on April 7, 2001, and was in full operation by June 9, 2001.
905 officially became exhausted in November, 2005. All new central office prefixes will be assigned in NPA 289, as there are no longer any available prefixes in 905.
In August 2000, Toufic Saliba, consultant and technical engineer at the Commission, directed the addition of area code 289 in the 905 area code region. In doing so, Saliba directed that all carriers put in place a 10-digit dialing plan for all local calls. In this order, the Commission directs Bell Canada to take the necessary steps to put in place the 10-digit local dialing plan as directed in August 2000. To be a 905er means residing in the suburbs of Toronto, while 416ers live in Toronto proper. The term the 905 or the 905 belt is also used to describe the suburban areas of the Greater Toronto Area, while Toronto proper is referred to as the 416. While still part of the area code, the term does not refer to areas more distant from Toronto, such as Hamilton and the Niagara Region. The term has seen much use in the context of Canadian politics, where the 416 is a stronghold of Liberals and New Democrats, whereas the 905 historically had strong ties to the Progressive Conservative Party, though less so recently as it becomes more urban. The region has, however, backed opposition parties as a protest vote, including both the NDP in 1990 and the Liberals in 2003, as a backlash to the contemporary government. In either case, the opposition party was elected to government with strong backing of the 905 region. The term 905er is often used pejoratively by downtown and inner-city Toronto residents to refer to people from Toronto’s suburbs.
Canadian rapper Maestro rendered homage to the area code in his song “416/905 (TO Party Anthem)”.
| Ajax, ON | Alberton, ON | Allanburg, ON |
| Alton, ON | Ancaster, ON | Ashburn, ON |
| Aurora, ON | Baldwin, ON | Baltimore, ON |
| Barrie, ON | Beamsville, ON | Beeton, ON |
| Belfountain, ON | Bewdley, ON | Binbrook, ON |
| Blackstock, ON | Bolton, ON | Bond Head, ON |
| Bowmanville, ON | Bradford, ON | Brampton, ON |
| Brougham, ON | Burlington, ON | Caesarea, ON |
| Caistor Centre, ON | Caledon, ON | Caledon East, ON |
| Caledon Village, ON | Caledonia, ON | Campbellcroft, ON |
| Campbellville, ON | Campden, ON | Canfield, ON |
| Carlisle, ON | Castleton, ON | Cayuga, ON |
| Cedar Valley, ON | Cheltenham, ON | Claremont, ON |
| Cobourg, ON | Colborne, ON | Concord, ON |
| Copetown, ON | Courtice, ON | Crystal Beach, ON |
| Dundas, ON | Dunnville, ON | Fenwick, ON |
| Fisherville, ON | Fonthill, ON | Fort Erie, ON |
| Freelton, ON | Georgetown, ON | Gilford, ON |
| Goodwood, ON | Gores Landing, ON | Gormley, ON |
| Grafton, ON | Grassie, ON | Greenbank, ON |
| Greenwood, ON | Grimsby, ON | Hagersville, ON |
| Hamilton, ON | Hampton, ON | Hannon, ON |
| Harwood, ON | Holland Landing, ON | Hornby, ON |
| Inglewood, ON | Innisfil, ON | Jacksons Point, ON |
| Jerseyville, ON | Jordan Station, ON | Kendal, ON |
| Keswick, ON | Kettleby, ON | Kilbride, ON |
| King City, ON | Kleinburg, ON | Leaskdale, ON |
| Limehouse, ON | Locust Hill, ON | Loretto, ON |
| Lowbanks, ON | Lynden, ON | Maple, ON |
| Markham, ON | Millgrove, ON | Milton, ON |
| Mississauga, ON | Moffat, ON | Mount Albert, ON |
| Mount Hope, ON | Nestleton Station, ON | Newcastle, ON |
| Newmarket, ON | Newtonville, ON | Niagara Falls, ON |
| Niagara On The Lake, ON | Nobleton, ON | Norval, ON |
| Oakville, ON | Orono, ON | Oshawa, ON |
| Palgrave, ON | Pickering, ON | Port Colborne, ON |
| Port Hope, ON | Port Perry, ON | Port Robinson, ON |
| Prince Albert, ON | Queenston, ON | Queensville, ON |
| Richmond Hill, ON | Ridgeville, ON | Ridgeway, ON |
| River Drive Park, ON | Roches Point, ON | Roseneath, ON |
| Sandford, ON | Schomberg, ON | Seagrave, ON |
| Selkirk, ON | Sharon, ON | Sherkston, ON |
| Smithville, ON | St Anns, ON | St Catharines, ON |
| St Davids, ON | Stevensville, ON | Stoney Creek, ON |
| Stouffville, ON | Sutton West, ON | Terra Cotta, ON |
| Thornhill, ON | Thorold, ON | Tottenham, ON |
| Unionville, ON | Uxbridge, ON | Vaughan, ON |
| Vineland, ON | Vineland Station, ON | Virgil, ON |
| Wainfleet, ON | Waterdown, ON | Welland, ON |
| Wellandport, ON | West Flamborough, ON | Whitby, ON |
| Whitevale, ON | Willow Beach, ON | Woodbridge, ON |
| York, ON | Zephyr, ON |