There are 12 states in the United States that have only one area code and Maine is one of them. It's no surprise that these 12 states have the smallest populations in the country. This never used to be a problem in the days when each home had only one phone number and businesses didn't have direct lines to dozens of staff members.

The problem began when more technology demanded more phone numbers. Fax machines, dial-up modems, and then cell phones all required their own dedicated phone line and number. Today, with several family members in each household having their own phones, the demand for numbers is getting to the point that Maine is almost out of numbers in the 207 area code. How many phone numbers are available in the 207 area code? 7,920,000. That works out a little over six numbers for every person living in Maine!

The Maine Public Utilities Commission are the ones that keep an eye on phone numbers in the 207 and according to WMTW, they're concerned about a large amount of phone numbers requested by Verizon over the past year and a half. They're worried that the amount of phone numbers they've requested is far more than they should need which ties up an already dwindling supply of 207 numbers. But does that really matter?

As much as 207 is Maine's identity, area codes are now transportable. How many people do you know living in Maine that have an area code for their cell phone from another state? I bet you know at least one.

So why does an area code in Maine have to be 207? To make it easy to remember? I can't remember the last time I directly dialed someone. I just touched their name in my address book on my phone and the call went through.

There are still plenty of numbers available in North America, so I don't see this as a big issue honestly. Do you?

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