Area code 815 covers northern Illinois outside the Chicago metro area, including cities like Rockford, DeKalb, and Joliet. Introduced in 1947, it has served as a key part of Illinois’s telecommunication structure for decades. The code is now overlaid by 779, requiring ten-digit dialing. The region includes manufacturing hubs, college towns, and growing suburbs. 815 is emblematic of traditional Midwestern values—hard work, resilience, and small-town community—and remains a familiar and respected code across northern Illinois.