Area codes 518 and 838

The bulk of the population is in the Capital District, the vicinity of the cities Albany, Schenectady, and Troy.

Other cities in the NPA are Glens Falls, Plattsburgh, and Saratoga Springs.

Despite the presence of the Capital District, this part of New York is not as densely populated as the rest of the state.

As a result, even with the proliferation of cell phones and pagers (particularly in the Capital District and Glens Falls), it was one of the few remaining original area codes not counting those serving an entire state, that had not been split or overlaid.

On September 19, 2017, area code 838 was activated, making this the second overlay in the upstate region.