It’s the original. Before the 310 meant beachside wealth or the 818 signaled Valley life, there was just 213. Honestly, if you look at a map of Southern California today, the area code 213 location looks like a tiny blue dot drowned in a sea of newer, less prestigious overlays. But that dot is the heartbeat of Los Angeles.
Think about it.
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Back in 1947, when the North American Numbering Plan was first sketched out, California only got three area codes. 213 was the big one. It covered the entire southern half of the state, from the Mexican border all the way up to the Central Coast. Now? It’s basically just a few square miles of high-rises, historic theaters, and the kind of grit that makes DTLA what it is today. You're looking at a footprint that includes the Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena), the towering skyscrapers of the Financial District, and the neon-soaked streets of Koreatown.
The Incredible Shrinking Map of the 213
It’s actually kinda wild how much this territory has been chopped up. Over the decades, 213 gave birth to almost every other code in the region. It’s like the "Mother" area code. First, they took out the 714 for Orange County in the early 50s. Then 818 for the Valley in the 80s. By the time the 310 was carved out for the Westside in 1991, 213 was starting to look a bit skinny.
The most dramatic change happened in 1998. That’s when the California Public Utilities Commission decided that the 213 area code location would be restricted solely to the downtown core and its immediate surroundings. Everything else became 323. For a long time, there was this weird rivalry. If you had a 213 number, you were "Old School LA." You were a business mogul or someone who had been in a loft before it was cool. If you had 323, you were... everywhere else.
But then, 2017 happened. The numbers literally ran out. You can’t just manufacture new digits when everyone has two cell phones, an iPad, and a smart fridge that needs its own line. So, the state implemented an "overlay." This means that 213 and 323 now cover the exact same geographic area. You could live in a Silver Lake bungalow and have a 213 number, or work in a 50th-floor office on Wilshire and have a 323 number. The geographic distinction is technically dead, but the cultural weight of the 213 remains.
What's Actually Inside the 213 Borders?
If you’re trying to pin down the area code 213 location on a modern GPS, you’re looking at the most densely packed neighborhoods in the city. We aren't talking about sprawling suburbs with white picket fences. This is vertical living.
- Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA): This is the core. The Historic Core, the Toy District, the Fashion District—all of it.
- Koreatown: One of the most vibrant, 24-hour neighborhoods in the United States. It's packed with hidden speakeasies and the best BBQ you’ll ever eat.
- Echo Park and Silver Lake: At least the parts that bleed into the city center. These areas are the "cool" hubs where 213 numbers are still highly coveted by creative agencies.
- Westlake: A bustling, high-energy neighborhood that often gets overlooked but represents the real, working-class engine of LA.
The vibe here is different. It’s noisy. It’s expensive. It’s where the legal battles happen at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse and where the Lakers (sometimes) win championships. When you see 213 on a caller ID, you don't think "beach." You think "business." You think "hustle."
The Status Symbol of a 213 Number
There’s a reason people still pay for services that "find" them a 213 number. It’s digital real estate. In a city where everyone is trying to prove they belong, having a number that dates back to the dawn of telecommunications is a subtle flex. It says you aren't a tourist. You didn't just move here from the Midwest three months ago to "make it." Even if you did, that 213 number suggests a level of permanence.
Businesses in the Financial District refuse to let go of their 213 lines. For a law firm or a high-end consultancy, it’s about branding. It’s about being "Central." If your office is in the US Bank Tower, you want that 213 prefix to match the prestige of the view.
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Why the Location Matters for Your SEO and Business
If you’re a local business owner, the area code 213 location isn't just a geographic fact—it’s a search intent goldmine. When people search for services in "213," they are usually looking for something immediate and local to the downtown area. They want a "213 locksmith" or a "213 flower delivery."
Because the area is so dense, the competition is brutal. You have thousands of businesses crammed into a few postal codes (90012, 90013, 90014, 90015, 90017, 90021). If you're trying to rank for searches in this area, you have to realize that Google treats "Downtown LA" and "Area Code 213" almost interchangeably in many local search queries.
However, there’s a trap. Because of the 213/323 overlay, you can’t just rely on the area code to tell Google where you are. You need a physical address. Google’s algorithms are smarter than they used to be; they know that a cell phone with a 213 prefix might be sitting in a coffee shop in Santa Monica. To truly dominate the 213 location in search results, your "Google Business Profile" needs to be pinpointed within those downtown boundaries.
The Cultural Impact: From Hip Hop to Hollywood
You can't talk about the 213 without mentioning the music. Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, and Warren G literally formed a group called "213." They were representing Long Beach, which was part of the 213 area code back in the day. It’s a legacy that has been immortalized in lyrics and movies.
When people think of the 213, they think of the "real" Los Angeles. Not the Hollywood sign or the Santa Monica Pier, but the concrete jungle. The flickering lights of the Eastern Columbia Building. The gritty alleyways where noir movies were filmed. It represents an era of LA that was tough, ambitious, and unpolished.
Nowadays, the 213 is undergoing a massive facelift. The "location" is becoming a playground for tech startups and luxury loft developers. But no matter how many glass towers they build, the 213 will always carry that weight of history. It’s the original area code of the West, and that’s not something you can just rebrand.
How to Get a 213 Number if You're Outside the Zone
Let’s say you want that 213 clout but you live in Burbank. Or maybe you're a business based in New York but you want a "local" presence in the heart of LA. Can you still get one?
Basically, yes. Through VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services like Google Voice, Grasshopper, or OpenPhone, you can specifically request a 213 prefix. But here’s the kicker: they are rare. Because the 213 is so small and so old, the pool of available numbers is constantly drying up. You might have to check back daily or buy a number from a third-party broker.
Is it worth it? If your target market is the downtown legal district or the fashion world, absolutely. It gives you instant local credibility. It makes you look like you have an office on Hope Street even if you're working from your kitchen table in another state.
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Practical Steps for Navigating the 213
If you are moving your business into the area code 213 location, or if you're just trying to understand the logistics of the area, here is what you actually need to do to make it work for you.
First, verify your specific neighborhood. Because the 213 is now an overlay with 323, don't assume your neighbors will have the same prefix. If you're setting up marketing materials, always include the area code. Gone are the days when you could just dial seven digits in LA. Everyone has to dial all ten digits now, every single time. If you leave the 213 off your signage, you’re making it harder for people to reach you.
Second, understand the traffic. This sounds unrelated to an area code, but the 213 location is notorious for the "Four Level Interchange." If you tell a client you’re in the 213, they’re going to assume there’s a 30-minute window of "LA traffic" added to any meeting time. It’s part of the brand.
Third, leverage the history. If you’re a creative or a brand, use the 213’s "original" status in your storytelling. It’s a shorthand for authenticity. In a city often criticized for being "fake," the 213 is as real as it gets. It’s the concrete, the sweat, and the history of a city that grew from a small pueblo into a global titan.
The 213 isn't just a set of numbers on a phone. It’s a geographical anchor for the identity of Los Angeles. While the borders have shrunk, the influence has only grown. Whether you're there for the K-pop in Koreatown or the legal filings in the Civic Center, you're standing in the spot where LA's modern history began.
To maximize your presence in this area, ensure your local SEO citations are 100% consistent across all platforms. Use the 213 prefix as a badge of honor on your website's "Contact Us" page. If you're a resident, hold onto that number—it’s a piece of Los Angeles history that is only getting harder to find. Focus on building "local authority" by mentioning specific landmarks like Grand Central Market or the Broad Museum in your location-based content to signal to search engines that you are truly part of the 213 fabric.