404 Area Code: Atlanta, Georgia — Location, Time Zone & History
Area code 404 serves Atlanta, Georgia and its closest suburbs—roughly the area inside Interstate 285. It's one of the original 86 area codes established in 1947 and remains synonymous with Atlanta's identity.
Quick Facts
| Location | Atlanta, Georgia (inside I-285) |
| Time Zone | Eastern Time (ET) |
| Created | 1947 |
| Overlay Codes | 470, 678, 943 |
| Population | ~500,000 (city proper) |
What Cities Does 404 Cover?
The 404 area code covers Atlanta and its inner suburbs within the I-285 perimeter:
- Atlanta (Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead)
- Sandy Springs
- College Park
- East Point
- Forest Park
- Decatur (partial)
- Tucker (partial)
- Candler-McAfee
Areas outside I-285 typically use 770, with 678 and 470 serving as overlays across metro Atlanta.
History of Area Code 404
Area code 404 has a rich history tied to Atlanta's growth:
The middle digit "0" in 404 is a historical artifact. Before 1953, a zero in the middle position indicated an area code that covered an entire state—which 404 originally did.
Time Zone
The 404 area code operates in Eastern Time (ET):
- EST (Eastern Standard Time): UTC-5
- EDT (Eastern Daylight Time): UTC-4 (March–November)
404: More Than an Area Code
If you work in technology, you probably associate "404" with something else entirely—the HTTP 404 "Not Found" error that appears when a web page doesn't exist.
The coincidence isn't lost on us.
404 Software Labs takes its name from Laboratory 404—a university computer lab from the 1990s where the founders first learned to code. Long before we knew about HTTP status codes or Atlanta area codes, Room 404 was where software came to life.
Three meanings, one number:
- Lab 404 — Where it started
- HTTP 404 — The error every developer knows
- Area Code 404 — Atlanta, a major tech hub
Today, we build Rails applications, developer tools, and software that ships. No overthinking. No overengineering. Just working solutions.
If you're an Atlanta-based business looking for developers who understand that "404 Not Found" is a problem to solve, not a philosophy to embrace— get in touch.
Our Projects
Check out what we're building at 404 Software Labs:
Rails Blueprint
The Bootstrap Rails template. Built for developers who prefer Bootstrap over Tailwind. Ships with authentication, payments, and a CMS.
Bootstrap Rails Template →Triumph Log
Professional achievement tracking platform. Share wins, track goals, and connect with ambitious people.
Achievement Tracking Platform →Blueprint MCP
Browser automation for Claude Code and Claude Desktop. Control Chrome via natural language without token overload. Smart extraction instead of massive page dumps.
Browser Automation for Claude →Voice Notes
Chrome extension for audio annotations on any webpage. Record thoughts with one click, share via link. No setup required for recipients.
Voice Notes Chrome Extension →