ATLANTA — It's not the kind of thing you probably think about often, but it's someone's job out there to keep track of when various area codes are running out of space to fit new numbers and, if need be, issue a new one.

Atlanta's current area codes, as it happens, are running out of space.

Enter the new area code: 943.

According to the Georgia Public Service Commission, it's the first new area code in metro Atlanta since 470 was introduced in 2010. The area code perhaps most synonymous with Atlanta, 404, was the original statewide area code for Georgia in 1947. The 770 and 678 area codes arrived in the 90s.

According to the commission, 943 "is expected to fulfill Metro Atlanta's needs for 10 years."

The area covered by 943, according to the commission, will include Alpharetta, Duluth, Dunwoody, East Point, Forest Park, Gainesville, Griffin, Lawrenceville, Mableton, Marietta, Peachtree City, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Smyrna and Tucker.

While the current area codes won't be exhausted until 2023, it's not clear if 943 will begin its use sooner than that.

Public Service Commission member Lauren "Bubba" McDonald said the need for a new area code "exemplifies the growth in Georgia spurred by a positive business climate."