The 320 area code serves central Minnesota, covering cities such as St. Cloud, Willmar, Alexandria, Sartell, Hutchinson, and Little Falls. It excludes the Minneapolis–St. Paul (Twin Cities) metro area operates in the Central Time Zone and has been in service since March 17, 1996.
What Is the 320 Area Code?
Area code 320 is a telephone areas codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) assigned to central Minnesota. It was created in 1996 when the original 612 area code, which once covered the entire Minneapolis–St. The Paul region was split to relieve numbering exhaustion caused by rapid growth in the Twin Cities.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| State | Minnesota, USA |
| Region type | Central Minnesota (excludes Twin Cities metro) |
| In service since | March 17, 1996 |
| Created from | Split of area code 612 |
| Time zone | Central Time (CT / America/Chicago) |
| Overlay code | None — 320 is the sole area code for its region |
| Largest city | St. Cloud |
Where Is the Area Code Located?
The area 320 code serves a broad region of central Minnesota. It stretches from the western prairie counties near the South Dakota border to communities north and southwest of the Twin Cities. However, it does not serve Minneapolis or St. Paul. Instead, area codes 612, 651, 763, and 952 serve those cities.
Major Cities in the Area Code
Why Was the Area Code Created?
In 1995, the regional phone area code 320 provider US West notified the North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA) that the 612 area code, which then covered the entire Minneapolis–St. Paul Metro and its surrounding region were running out of available phone number combinations due to explosive demand.
How to Dial a 320 Number
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Conclusion
The area code 320 location is one of Minnesota’s most geographically expansive telephone codes, covering the heart of central Minnesota while deliberately excluding the Minneapolis–St. Paul Metro. Born of the 1996 split from area code 612, it was created to keep pace with the Twin Cities’ explosive demand for phone numbers, giving central Minnesota, anchored by St. Cloud, its own dedicated numbering identity.
