Area codes 601 and 769 are the telephone area codes for central Mississippi. The main area code, 601, was one of the original area codes implemented in 1947, and served all of Mississippi. Despite the state's relatively stagnant population growth, 601 was close to exhaustion by the mid-1990s due to the proliferation of cell phones. Additionally, the Memphis LATA extends for some distance into northern Mississippi, so several numbers in Memphis' area code 901 weren't available for use. In 1997, the far southwestern portion tip of the state, including Biloxi and the Gulf Coast, was split off as area code 228. In 1999, area code 662 was created in the northern half of Mississippi, including the Mississippi side of the Memphis area.