863 is the telephone area code which covers much of South Central Florida. Some of the larger and more notable cities in the 863 area code include Lakeland, Bartow, Winter Haven, Lake Wales, Avon Park, Sebring, and Clewiston. A telephone numbering plan is a system that allows subscribers to make and receive telephone calls across long distances. ... State nickname: Sunshine State Official languages English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush (R) Senators Bill Nelson (D) Mel Martinez (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 22nd 170,451 km² 17. ... Lakeland is a city located in Polk County, Florida. ... Bartow is a city located in Polk County, Florida. ... Winter Haven is a city located in Polk County, Florida. ... Lake Wales is a city located in Polk County, Florida. ... Avon Park is a city located in Highlands County, Florida. ... Sebring is a city located in Highlands County, Florida. ... Clewiston is a city located in Hendry County, Florida. ...

Description

Area code 863 covers the total area of the following counties: Polk, Hardee, Highlands, Glades, and Hendry. Almost the entire area, except a small sliver, of De Soto and Okeechobee County counties are in the 863 area code. A tiny nearly unpopulated area of St. Lucie county is also in the 863 area code. Polk County is a county located in the state of Florida. ... Hardee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. ... Highlands County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. ... Glades County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. ... Hendry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. ... DeSoto County is the name of several counties in the United States of America: DeSoto County, Florida DeSoto County, Mississippi This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Okeechobee County is a county located in the state of Florida. ... St. ...

History

The region currently belonging to Area code 863 was originally part of Area code 305, which covered the entire state of Florida. In 1953, the state of Florida split into three Area codes, the original being retained in the Southeast coast, Area code 904 allocated to Northern Florida, and Area code 813 given to the southwest coast including the current 863 area, as well as the entire southwest Florida coast, including the Tampa Bay area. The 813 area code was untouched for 43 years until 1996 when the 13 counties outside of the immediate Tampa Bay area (all but Hillsborough, Pinelas, and Pasco]] counties were given the Area code 941. In 1999, the 863 area code took its current form as the coastal counties of the 941 Area code kept the 941 Area code, while the rest were given the new 863 area code. State nickname: Sunshine State Official languages English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush (R) Senators Bill Nelson (D) Mel Martinez (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 22nd 170,451 km² 17. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Area code 813 is the telephone numbering plan code for the city of Tampa, Florida and surrounding areas such as Zephyrhills and Oldsmar. ... Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary on the western coast of Florida. ... Area code 941 includes the counties of Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte , areas along the Sun Coast of southwest of Florida, USA. Categories: North American area codes ...

References

• Florida's Area Code History
• Area code history. AreaCode-Info.com.
• 1947 Area Code Assignment Map. GIF image at AreaCode-Info.com.

See also

• List of North American area codes
• North American Numbering Plan

This is a list of North American area codes in effect for the North American Numbering Plan. ... The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) is a system for three-digit area codes and seven-digit telephone numbers that direct telephone calls to particular regions on a public switched telephone network (PSTN), where they are further routed by the local network. ...