The History of 818

Anybody local to Los Angeles knows that there’s a pretty big difference between Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. And, the 818 area code is evidence of that, separating the San Fernando Valley in the north from Los Angeles and other well-known cities like Santa Monica in the south. The 818 area code was created from the 213 area code, which now serves Downtown Los Angeles, along with the 310 area code, which was used to serve other areas of Los Angeles such as Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and Malibu. And, it’s since become a somewhat popular term for the (San Fernando) Valley. In the film Pulp Fiction, you’ll hear Jules references “the 818,” and in the film Go, Ronna tells another character not to “go 818” on him. Today, the 818 area code is used mostly for northern and eastern Valley numbers while the 747 area code is more for numbers in the southern and western parts of the Valley. And, despite covering a large portion of the San Fernando Valley, which is in Los Angeles County, 5% of 818 numbers are in Ventura County.