719 Area Code – Colorado Springs, Colorado: Location, Time Zone & History

For forty years after 1947, all of Colorado dialed through a single area code, 303. That changed on March 5, 1988, when the southeastern and south-central portion of the state -- Colorado Springs and Pueblo among them -- broke away to form 719, Colorado's first-ever area code split, while Denver and Boulder kept 303.

719 has never needed an overlay of its own; growth pressure was instead managed by freeing up numbers, and mandatory ten-digit local dialing took effect on October 24, 2021 so the 988 central office code could be reserved nationally for the Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The numbering plan area now covers roughly two dozen counties and an estimated 1.83 million residents, stretching from Colorado Springs and Pueblo down to Trinidad, Alamosa, and La Junta, and up into the mountains at Leadville.

Colorado Springs anchors the region's identity as a defense and space hub, home to Fort Carson, Peterson and Schriever Space Force Bases, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and U.S. Space Command, with NORAD's Cheyenne Mountain complex nearby. The city also hosts the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center, earning it the nickname "Olympic City USA," while Pikes Peak -- inspiration for "America the Beautiful" -- and the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb draw visitors from across the country.