Area codes 804 and 686

Other communities included are Chesterfield, Henrico, Hopewell, Mechanicsville, Powhatan, Midlothian, Petersburg, and Colonial Heights.

Although Hampton Roads is the largest metropolitan area based in the Commonwealth, Bell Atlantic (forerunner of Verizon) decided to let Richmond keep 804 in order to spare the plethora of state agencies in the capital the expense and burden of having to change their numbers.

This split was intended as a long-term solution, but by the turn of the century and millennium 804 was running out of numbers due to the rapid growth of the Richmond area, as well as the proliferation of cell phones and pagers.

As a result, 804 was split again on June 1, 2001, when most of the western portion (Danville, Lynchburg, Charlottesville) became area code 434.

The State Corporation Commission (SCC) announced on November 16, 2022, that it would overlay the existing area code, likely in the first half of 2024.