Despite the presence of Memphis, the state's largest city at the time, West Tennessee is not as densely populated as the state's other two Grand Divisions. As a result, while the eastern two-thirds of the state went from one area code to four from 1995 to 1999, 901 remained the sole area code for West Tennessee for 47 years. However, by the turn of the millennium, 901 was close to exhaustion due to the Memphis area's rapid growth, as well as the proliferation of cell phones and pagers. On September 17, 2001, area code 731 was assigned to most of West Tennessee outside the immediate Memphis area. Area code 901 remained in service for Fayette, Shelby and Tipton counties, an area largely coextensive with the inner ring of the Memphis area.
Despite the Memphis area's growth and the continued demand for telecommunication services, 901 is not in danger of exhaustion. It is one of the few urban area codes that has not been overlaid, making Memphis one of the largest cities where seven-digit dialing is still possible. According to 2021 projections, it will likely stay that way until about 2035.[1]
The area code was the inspiration for the name of Memphis 901 FC, a local professional soccer team that plays in the USL Championship.[2]
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