Area Code 250

About Area Code 250

Area code 250 is a geographic telephone area code assigned to Kelowna, British Columbia. It operates in the Pacific time zone and was first introduced in 1996. Split from 604. Most of British Columbia except lower mainland.

Within British Columbia, area code 250 operates alongside 5 other area codes. The province's 2023 population estimate is 5,649,205. British Columbia's capital is Victoria and its largest city is Vancouver.

When you receive a call from a 250 number on your Caller ID, the call originated from a phone number assigned to the 250 area code — but be aware that Local Number Portability (in effect since 2003) means the caller could be physically located anywhere in the US or Canada. Area code 250 only confirms where the number was originally assigned.

Where is the 250 area code located?

Area code 250 is assigned to Kelowna, British Columbia, in the Pacific time zone. The state of British Columbia uses 6 active area codes, and 250 is one of them. Calls placed from the 250 area code originate from numbers assigned by NANPA — the North American Numbering Plan Administrator — and the 250 prefix appears on Caller ID for both landline and wireless calls placed from this region.

The Pacific time zone observes Daylight Saving Time, shifting from UTC-8 to UTC-7 in summer. The local time shown above is always current, so you can quickly check whether it's a reasonable hour to call back.

What cities and counties use the 250 area code?

The 250 area code serves 12 notable cities, listed below in order of population. The largest city in the 250 territory is Kelowna (137,148 residents in Kelowna County).

• Kelowna, BC — 137,148 residents (5.2% of 250 numbers)
• Vancouver, BC — 662,248 residents (25.1% of 250 numbers)
• Surrey, BC — 568,322 residents (21.5% of 250 numbers)
• Burnaby, BC — 249,125 residents (9.4% of 250 numbers)
• Richmond, BC — 209,937 residents (8% of 250 numbers)
• Abbotsford, BC — 141,397 residents (5.4% of 250 numbers)
• Coquitlam, BC — 139,284 residents (5.3% of 250 numbers)
• Saanich, BC — 114,415 residents (4.3% of 250 numbers)
• Langley Township, BC — 117,285 residents (4.4% of 250 numbers)
• Delta, BC — 102,238 residents (3.9% of 250 numbers)

Phone number format in area code 250

All phone numbers within area code 250 follow the standard North American 10-digit format:(250) NXX-XXXX. The NXX is the central office prefix (also called an "exchange") and XXXX is the subscriber line number. For long-distance calls within the NANP, dial 1 + 250 + NXX + XXXX. From outside North America, dial your country's international access code, then 1 (the NANP country code), then the 10-digit number.

If you need to verify whether a specific 250 number is wireless, landline, or VoIP, you can use our reverse phone lookup tool. Be aware that number portability means the area code no longer guarantees the caller's physical location — only where the number was first assigned.

History of area code 250

Split from 604. Most of British Columbia except lower mainland.

The original 86 area codes were assigned by AT&T and Bell Labs in 1947 as part of the North American Numbering Plan. At the time, rotary-dial phones meant codes with lower digits (like 212 for NYC, 213 for LA, 312 for Chicago) were given to the largest cities because they took less time to dial. Today's area code assignments still reflect those early choices, even though touch-tone and cell phones made the original reason obsolete.

Is the 250 area code safe to answer?

Area code 250 itself is a normal geographic code with no elevated spam risk. That said, scammers can spoof any area code — including 250 — so if you don't recognize the full number, let it go to voicemail and verify the caller's identity before calling back.