On this day 25 years ago, Pierce County’s beloved 253 area code was born on April 27th, 1997.

Area codes weren’t established in the United States until 1947 and were initially created as part of a nation-wide long-distance dialing system that assigned three-digit codes to 86 regions across the country. That’s when the entire state of Washington was designated the area code 206 as part of the North American Numbering Plan. 

But as time marched on and technology started to advance, cell phones, pagers, and fax machines began to become more common, and phone numbers were in high demand. So much so that the phone company began to run out of phone numbers to provide. 

Forty years after the introduction of the 206 area code, the greater King and Pierce County areas were finally given their own area codes in 1997, bringing the 253 and 425 to life. 

Today the 253 area code serves most of Pierce County, along with small portions of King and Kitsap counties. Tacoma is the largest city in the 253 and there is no doubt that locals in grit city and beyond are proud to rep those three little numbers. 

To locals, 253 is so much more than just an area code. In 2007, Daniel Blue, frontman of the band Motopony, created The 253 Heart in the spirit of community, and Pierce County residents promptly fell in love with the now iconic design. After moving out of Tacoma, Blue passed on the rights for the 253 heart to his longtime friend and former band manager, Steve Naccarato. Today the symbol can be found on everything ranging from cars, stickers and t-shirts, to tattoos, dazzling neon signs, and more.

So today, in honor of the place we cherish and call home, we wish the 253 a very happy 25th anniversary!