978 Area Code: From Salem's Witches to the Route 495 Tech Belt

Introduction

In October, the 978 area code rings phones in Salem packed with tourists chasing witch-trial history. Twenty miles west, the same code connects software firms and defense contractors along the Route 128 and I-495 tech belt. One prefix, two completely different economies. That range is what makes 978 interesting — and a little misunderstood. It's shared its map with an overlay since 2001, so the code says less about your exact town than people assume. Here's what it actually covers, why a local number still pulls weight in New England, and how to run one that doesn't get screened.

The essentials

The 978 area code covers northeastern and north-central Massachusetts — the Merrimack Valley and North Shore — including Lowell, Lawrence, Salem, and Gloucester. It launched in 1997, sits in the Eastern Time Zone, and shares its territory with overlay code 351.

One code, two economies

Most area codes cover a single kind of place. 978 straddles two.

The heritage coast

Salem's October tourism, Gloucester's working waterfront, and Newburyport's historic downtown drive a seasonal visitor economy on the North Shore — retail, hospitality, and tours that spike hard on the calendar.

The tech corridor

Inland, Lowell and Andover sit on the Route 128 / I-495 tech belt, with UMass Lowell, longtime Raytheon operations, and a dense run of software and hardware firms. Year-round B2B call volume, different rhythm entirely.

How 978 split from 508

The 1997 split

On September 1, 1997, 978 split off from 508 to relieve a number shortage, peeling away the northeastern slice of the state. It was the 213th area code put into service nationwide.

Essex, Middlesex, and Worcester

The new code took in most of Essex County, the northern reach of Middlesex, and a piece of northern Worcester County — the Merrimack Valley and North Shore bundled into one prefix.

The 351 overlay nobody thinks about anymore

Here's a detail most guides gloss over: 978 hasn't been alone for a long time.

• A second code since 2001 — on May 2, 2001, area code 351 was overlaid on the exact same territory. Both codes have served the region side by side for more than two decades.
• Why it barely registers — because the overlay is so old, locals have dialed ten digits and seen both prefixes for a generation. A 351 number reads as just as local as 978 — the novelty wore off years ago.

The map: Merrimack Valley, North Shore, and beyond

978 reaches a long list of distinct communities, not one metro.

• Lowell — one of New England's original mill cities, now a UMass campus and tech-corridor anchor
• Lawrence — dense Merrimack Valley city, strong manufacturing and services base
• Haverhill and Methuen — mid-sized Merrimack Valley communities along the New Hampshire border
• Salem — renowned for its 1692 witch trials; today a year-round tourism magnet that peaks hard in October
• Peabody and Beverly — North Shore commercial and residential centers
• Gloucester — America's oldest fishing port, strong hospitality and waterfront economy
• Newburyport — historic downtown, strong tourism and independent retail
• Fitchburg and Leominster — western reach into Worcester County, industrial and commercial base
• Andover and North Andover — prep-school towns with a dense corporate and tech presence

What a 978 number signals to a New England local

New Englanders notice phone numbers. A 978 line tells a Merrimack Valley or North Shore customer you're one of them.

• Locals clock out-of-area numbers fast — in a tight regional market, an out-of-state caller ID gets spotted and screened. A 978 (or 351) number removes that instant red flag and earns the pickup.
• It reads as rooted — for a service business calling Salem or Lowell, a local code signals you're part of the community, not a national call center dialing through a list. That perception shapes the first ten seconds.

The scams hiding behind a 978 caller ID

The local trust that helps you is the same thing fraudsters exploit. Spoofing a 978 caller ID makes a scam look like a neighbor.

• Health-insurance scams — callers posing as Anthem, UnitedHealthcare, or AARP fishing for Medicare numbers.
• Auto-warranty robocalls — a consistent top-five for 978 spam complaints.
• Grandparent emergency scams — targeting older North Shore residents with fabricated family crises that demand immediate wire transfers.

Getting a 978 number for your business

You don't need a North Shore storefront to run a North Shore number. A cloud phone platform assigns a 978 line and routes it anywhere. Three things to nail:

1. 1Claim or port the number — pick an available 978 line, or port the number you already advertise so your decals, listings, and search results keep working. [letsdial](/products/business-phone) ports numbers in — and out — free.
2. 2Authenticate every call — use a provider that signs calls with STIR/SHAKEN at the carrier level. In a spoof-heavy region, call authentication is what separates your call from the fakes.
3. 3Register 10DLC for texting — texting appointment reminders or promos? 10DLC registration keeps your [business SMS](/products/sms-mms) out of the carrier filter. A solid platform files it for you.

Built for a seasonal North Shore

A tourism-and-tech region doesn't ring at a steady pace. Salem in October and Gloucester in July can bury a line that coasts the rest of the year.

• Don't drop the surge — an [AI Receptionist](/products/ai) answers the overflow, books the reservation, and logs the note. A peak-season rush isn't a stack of missed calls by Monday.
• Route by reason, not by luck — send bookings, support, and billing to the right queue automatically. When volume spikes, intent routing is what keeps callers from bouncing off a busy signal.
• Use SMS for the tail — [two-way texting](/products/sms-mms) handles confirmations, wait-time updates, and follow-ups at a fraction of the cost of a voice call during high-volume periods.

Frequently asked questions

The takeaway

978 is one of New England's more versatile codes — a single prefix spanning haunted seaports and software parks, sharing its map quietly with 351 for over twenty years. A local number here still earns trust, but only if the call behind it is authenticated and answered. Choose a recognizable 978 line, sign your calls, and make sure something smart picks up when the season turns.