Area code 251 is a telephone numbering plan code covering southwestern Alabama serving Mobile, Baldwin, and Washington counties and parts of six other counties. It was created on June 18, 2001, as a split from area code 334. In order to allow people time to reprogram electronics such as computers, cell phones, pagers and fax machines, use of the 334 area code continued in the 251 areas through January 7, 2002.