319 Area Code: Cedar Rapids, Iowa City & Eastern Iowa

The 319 area code covers eastern Iowa — anchored by Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, the two cities that form the state's "Creative Corridor." It also reaches Waterloo, Cedar Falls, and the southeast river towns of Burlington and Fort Madison. One of Iowa's original 1947 codes, 319 has a long history and a tightly connected modern economy.

This guide covers where the 319 area code is, how it split with 563, the Creative Corridor that defines it, its time zone and dialing, the common "is it California or Texas?" mix-up, how to stay safe from spoofed calls, and how to get a 319 number from anywhere.

Where is the 319 area code?

The 319 area code location is east-central and southeastern Iowa. It does not cover Des Moines (515) to the west, or the far-eastern Mississippi River cities of Dubuque and Davenport, which use 563.

Cities and communities inside the 319 footprint include:

How 319 and 563 split

When the North American Numbering Plan launched in 1947, 319 was one of Iowa's original area codes, covering the entire eastern third of the state — all the way to the Mississippi River.

By 2001, growth in the eastern river corridor exhausted the number pool, and the 563 area code split off the far-eastern cities — Dubuque, Davenport, and the Quad Cities side of Iowa. That left 319 with its current footprint: Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Waterloo, and the southeast. Just across the river, the 309 area code covers the Illinois side of the Quad Cities, so the two codes effectively meet at the Mississippi.

The Creative Corridor

Cedar Rapids and Iowa City sit just 25 miles apart and market themselves jointly as Iowa's Creative Corridor — a single economic region with surprising depth for its size:

• Advanced manufacturing — Collins Aerospace is headquartered in Cedar Rapids, anchoring a strong avionics and electronics base; Waterloo is a major John Deere manufacturing center.
• Food processing — Cedar Rapids is one of the largest corn-processing hubs in the world, with Quaker Oats, General Mills, and Cargill operations.
• Education and healthcare — the University of Iowa and its hospitals make Iowa City a research and medical hub; the University of Northern Iowa anchors Cedar Falls.
• Insurance and finance — eastern Iowa hosts a cluster of insurance and financial-services employers.

For aerospace, manufacturing, healthcare, and professional firms, a 319 number signals you are part of this productive eastern-Iowa corridor.

319 time zone and dialing

The 319 area code time zone is Central Time (CT) — CST (UTC−6) in winter and CDT (UTC−5) in summer, the same clock as Chicago and Minneapolis. At noon in Cedar Rapids it is 1 PM in New York and 11 AM in Los Angeles.

Because 319 has no overlay, seven-digit local dialing still technically works, but ten digits is the reliable standard.

Is 319 a California or Texas area code?

People sometimes search whether 319 belongs to California or Texas — so to be clear: 319 is an Iowa area code, not a California or Texas one. It serves Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, and eastern Iowa. California uses codes like 213 and 415; Texas uses codes like 214 and 512. If a "319" caller claims to be in California or Texas, treat it as a warning sign of spoofing.

Putting a 319 number to work for your business

A 319 number puts an eastern-Iowa address on your caller ID without a local lease. For manufacturers, aerospace suppliers, healthcare groups, and service businesses selling into the Cedar Rapids–Iowa City corridor, a local code reads as familiar and lifts answer rates over an unknown out-of-state or toll-free line.

You do not need a Cedar Rapids office to claim one. A cloud phone provider can assign you a 319 number that rings on your existing devices and routes calls anywhere. With a provider like My Country Mobile, you can pick a 319 line, set up routing, an auto-attendant, and voicemail, and be live in minutes — solo operator or national brand.

Staying safe from spoofed 319 calls

Scammers spoof 319 numbers — faking an eastern-Iowa prefix, sometimes matching the first digits of your own number — so a call looks local. A 319 on your screen does not prove the caller is really in Iowa.

A few habits keep you safe:

• Let unknown 319 calls go to voicemail; legitimate callers leave a message.
• Never share one-time codes, card numbers, or login details with an inbound caller.
• Be skeptical of "utility shutoff," "student loan," or "your account is compromised" calls that pressure you to act fast.
• Use carrier spam filtering. The FCC's STIR/SHAKEN call authentication framework is why many phones now label these as "Spam Risk."

Key takeaways

• 319 covers eastern Iowa — Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Waterloo and the southeast — not Des Moines.
• It is a 1947 original code; 563 split off the Dubuque/Davenport river cities in 2001.
• Cedar Rapids and Iowa City form Iowa's Creative Corridor, a strong manufacturing and research economy.
• It runs on Central Time; it is in Iowa, not California or Texas.
• You can get a 319 number from the cloud without an Iowa address.

Frequently asked questions