Indiana · Central time
219 area code Northwest Indiana's number for your business.
219 is the area code of Northwest Indiana, the Region: Gary, Hammond and the Lake County towns, Valparaiso and Portage, and Michigan City on the lake. It runs on Chicago's time and has no overlay, so every number in it is a 219. Here is where it reaches and how a small team gets one ringing in about five minutes, from anywhere.
Start with $15. No contract, no seat minimum.
- Area code
- 219
- Overlay
- None one code for every town
- In service
- Since 1948 split three ways in 2002
- Time zone
- Central same as Chicago
- Local calls
- 10 digits since October 2021
Where it is
Where the 219 area code is
Cross the state line from Chicago and you are in 219. It takes in all or part of five counties in Indiana's northwest corner: Lake, Porter and La Porte along Lake Michigan, and Jasper and Newton to the south.
Lake County is the busy end: Gary, Hammond, East Chicago, Merrillville and Crown Point. Porter County adds Valparaiso, Portage and Chesterton by the Dunes, and La Porte County runs out to Michigan City. Unlike most of Indiana, all of it keeps Central time, the same clock as Chicago.
Lake County
Next door to Chicago
- Gary
- Hammond
- East Chicago
- Merrillville
- Crown Point
- Schererville
- Munster
- Griffith
- Highland
- Hobart
- Whiting
- Lake Station
- St. John
- Cedar Lake
- Lowell
Porter County
Valparaiso and the Dunes
- Valparaiso
- Portage
- Chesterton
- Ogden Dunes
- Kouts
La Porte County
East along the lake
- Michigan City
- La Porte
Jasper and Newton
Farm country to the south
- Rensselaer
- DeMotte
- Roselawn
- Lake Village
Got a call from a 219 number? The area code tells you where the number was first issued, not where the caller is sitting. People keep their numbers when they move, and internet-based numbers work from anywhere, so a 219 call can come from Hammond or from much farther away.
One code, no overlay
From a third of Indiana to the Region's own
219 arrived in 1948, when the northern third of Indiana, Gary and Hammond through South Bend to Fort Wayne, got its own code. On January 15, 2002 that territory was split three ways. The northwest kept 219, South Bend and Elkhart became 574, and Fort Wayne became 260.
Since then 219 has stayed a single code with no overlay. The one change callers noticed came on October 24, 2021, when every local call started taking all ten digits for the national 988 crisis line. For a business it means one simple thing: a 219 number is the Region's number, with no second code next to it.
Local
Also local
In practice
What a 219 number does for a small team
A local number is the easy part. What matters is what happens when it rings. Here is one ordinary day for a three-person heating and cooling company in Valparaiso, with one 219 number on its trucks and its website.
- 7:30 am
The number points at a ring group, so all three phones ring at once: the owner's app on his cell, the office manager's browser tab, and the tech on his way to a job. Whoever is free answers.
- 10:00 am
A cold snap brings three calls in a row. With the queue on, callers hear hold music instead of endless ringing, and the office manager takes them one after another.
- 12:15 pm
A homeowner in Chesterton leaves a message on the team voicemail. It arrives by email with the recording and a written transcript, so the owner reads “furnace not igniting, home after 3” between jobs without pressing play.
- 5:00 pm
The schedule flips the line to after-hours: a greeting and voicemail. Holidays are set once on the calendar.
- Any time
Every call and text shows up in one shared list, and nobody's personal cell number ever reaches a customer.
No Indiana address needed
Get a 219 number from anywhere
A Tonet number is not tied to a street address or a landline. A shop in Crown Point can have one, and so can a team that serves Region customers from Chicago, another state or another country.
Create your account
It takes a couple of minutes. Sign up with your email or with Google.
Add $15
Your first deposit becomes your balance. For one person it lasts about a month.
Pick your number
Search 219 in the dashboard and choose one. It rings right away in the app, in a browser tab or on a desk phone.
Pick a new number
The five-minute route. Choose the 219 number you like the look of. It reads as local to every town on this page.
Bring the number you already use
Porting your number in costs nothing. Most ports complete in 7 to 10 business days. Some carriers take longer, up to a few weeks, and the releasing carrier controls the timing, so no date is guaranteed. Your number keeps working with your current provider until the switch, with no downtime.
US dollars · billed by the day
What a 219 business number costs
Two plans with the same features. The only difference is how you pay for calls and texts.
$10 per user, per month
- Calls 1¢ a minute
- Texts 3¢ each
- Best for A quiet line
$15 per user, per month
- US calls Included
- US texts Included
- Best for A busy line
Each phone number is $2.50 a month. You pay only for the days a user is active. No contract, no setup fee, no seat minimum. Unlimited is subject to a fair-use policy.
Start with $15Included on both plans
What comes with the number
One number, the whole team
Point your 219 line at a ring group and every phone rings. Turn on the queue and callers wait with hold music until someone picks up.
An auto attendant
Record your own greeting. Press 1 for sales, 2 for service. Or skip it and let the phones ring.
Schedules and holidays
Business hours, after hours and days off, each with its own route. Set them once and the line follows them.
Recording and transcripts
Turn on recording for a number and each recorded call is written out, with a short AI summary, so you can search it later.
Texting from your number
Customers can text the business line. Receiving works right away. Sending needs a one-time carrier registration, which you file from the dashboard.
App, browser or desk phone
Answer on your iPhone or Android, in a browser tab, or on a SIP desk phone. Your personal number stays private.
Questions
219 area code, answered
Where is the 219 area code?
219 covers the northwest corner of Indiana, all or part of Lake, Porter, La Porte, Jasper and Newton counties. That takes in Gary, Hammond, East Chicago, Merrillville, Crown Point and the rest of Lake County, Valparaiso and Portage in Porter County, and Michigan City and La Porte along the lake.
What time zone is the 219 area code in?
Central. The five northwest Indiana counties in 219 keep Chicago's time, while most of Indiana, including South Bend and Fort Wayne, is on Eastern time.
Does 219 have an overlay?
No. 219 is still the only area code for its towns, and Indiana's consumer counselor lists no overlay planned for it.
Is 219 the same as 574 and 260?
They used to be one code. Until 2002, 219 covered the whole northern third of Indiana. On January 15, 2002 it was split three ways: the northwest kept 219, the South Bend and Elkhart area became 574, and the Fort Wayne area became 260.
Do I have to dial the area code for local calls in 219?
Yes. Since October 24, 2021 every call in 219 takes all ten digits. The change came with the national 988 crisis line.
Who is calling me from a 219 number?
The area code only tells you where the number was first issued. People and businesses keep their numbers when they move, and internet-based numbers can be used from anywhere, so a 219 caller could be in Valparaiso or far away. If you do not recognize the number and it is not a business you deal with, let it go to voicemail.
Can I keep my existing 219 number?
Yes. Porting your current number to Tonet costs nothing. Most ports complete in 7 to 10 business days. Some carriers take longer, up to a few weeks, and the releasing carrier controls the timing, so no date is guaranteed. Your number keeps working with your current provider until the switch, with no downtime.
How much does a 219 business number cost?
Each number is $2.50 a month. Users are $10 a month on Pay As You Go, plus 1 cent a minute and 3 cents a text, or $15 a month on Unlimited for US calls and texts under a fair-use policy. Everything is billed by the day from a prepaid balance, with no contract and no setup fee. A $15 deposit gets you started.
Area code dates, split and towns: Area code 219, Wikipedia. Overlay status and ten-digit dialing: Indiana Area Codes, Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor. Time zone: Time in Indiana, Wikipedia.
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