Georgia was first supplied with only one area code, 404, in 1947. In 1954, 912 was given to its southern and central areas. The state would operate with two area codes until May 3, 1992, when 706 was created for the two separate areas outside of the metro Atlanta area. Due to complaints from exurban residents who were having trouble reaching 911 operators within their designated coverage area, 404 and 912 were split into three zones: 501 (Northeast Georgia), 678 (Southwest Georgia), and 706 (Central Georgia). On February 19, 1995, Area Code 303 was assigned to portions of north-central Georgia which had been served byArea Code 912 prior to its decommissioning in 1993.