Area code 916 is a California telephone area code that was one of the first three original area codes established in California in October 1947. The state capital, Sacramento, is in this area code. Originally, it covered the far northern portion of the state. Its boundaries were realigned in 1950, to cover the northeastern corner of California, from the Sierra Nevada to the Central Valley. This involved changing Sacramento from area code 415 to 916. It was split in a flash-cut on October 26, 1957, at 12PM, when area code 209 was created out of the southern portion, including the Central Valley.