508 Area Code – Worcester, Massachusetts: Location, Time Zone & History

The territory reached by area code 508 carries some of New England's deepest history. New Bedford, within its boundaries, was once the world's leading whaling port and remains among the top-grossing commercial fishing ports in the United States today. Plymouth, also served by 508, is where the Plymouth Colony landed in 1620 and is home to Plymouth Rock — a link between the region's colonial past and its present-day identity.

That same stretch of central, south-central, and southeastern Massachusetts is also a major tourism corridor. Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket all fall within the 508/774 numbering plan area, drawing visitors to a coastline shaped as much by fishing heritage as by vacation travel. Inland, cities such as Worcester, Framingham, Brockton, Fall River, and Taunton support an economy built on manufacturing, healthcare, higher education, and commercial fishing.

The code itself dates to July 16, 1988, when it split off from Boston's 617. It was later trimmed in 1997, when the northern portion of its territory became area code 978, and in 2001 the overlay code 774 was added across the remaining 508 region, making ten-digit dialing mandatory. As of 2018, the combined 508/774 numbering plan was projected to last until 2045.