June 13th, 2014 at 7:31:39 AM
permalink
The tables below show the original area codes in 1947.
The blocks with asterisks were filled in by 1959.
The blocks with INT were filled in the interim years from 1960 until the breakup.
The ones labelled BRK were used after the breakup of Bell Telephone.
The X10 area codes were not originally used, and all but one was initiated after the breakup of Bell Telephone in 1984. Obviously the X11 was reserved for codes (like 911 and 411). When Bell Telephone broke up there were only 12 unused area codes (but extending to X10 provided a few more for a few years).
TRIVIA QUESTIONS
1) The four simplest area codes to dial with a rotary phone were 212, 213, 312, and 313. Who got these area codes?
2) What was the significance of middle digit 0 or middle digit 1 when they were introduced?
3) What is different about the bolded area codes?
4) After Bell Telephone broke up two new area codes were issued that caused massive controversy (718 and 818). Why?
5) After the breakup of Bell the 12 remaining codes were used. The X10 provided another eight (710 was used for a now aborted plan for the federal government).
In 1992 area code 917 involved something new. What was it?
The blocks with asterisks were filled in by 1959.
The blocks with INT were filled in the interim years from 1960 until the breakup.
The ones labelled BRK were used after the breakup of Bell Telephone.
200 | 201 | 202 | 203 | 204 | 205 | 206 | 207 | 208 | *** |
300 | 301 | 302 | 303 | 304 | 305 | 306 | 307 | *** | *** |
400 | 401 | 402 | 403 | 404 | 405 | 406 | BRK | *** | INT |
500 | 501 | 502 | 503 | 504 | 505 | *** | *** | BRK | *** |
600 | 601 | 602 | 603 | 604 | 605 | *** | *** | *** | *** |
700 | 701 | 702 | 703 | 704 | *** | BRK | *** | BRK | INT |
800 | 801 | 802 | 803 | INT | *** | *** | INT | *** | *** |
900 | 901 | 902 | BRK | INT | BRK | INT | *** | BRK | BRK |
210 | 211 | 212 | 213 | 214 | 215 | 216 | 217 | 218 | *** |
310 | 311 | 312 | 313 | 314 | 315 | 316 | 317 | *** | 319 |
410 | 411 | 412 | 413 | 414 | 415 | 416 | *** | 418 | 419 |
510 | 511 | 512 | 513 | 514 | 515 | *** | 517 | 518 | *** |
610 | 611 | 612 | 613 | 614 | *** | 616 | 617 | 618 | INT |
710 | 711 | 712 | 713 | *** | 715 | 716 | 717 | BRK | BRK |
810 | 811 | 812 | *** | 814 | 815 | 816 | *** | BRK | *** |
910 | 911 | *** | 913 | 914 | 915 | 916 | BRK | *** | *** |
The X10 area codes were not originally used, and all but one was initiated after the breakup of Bell Telephone in 1984. Obviously the X11 was reserved for codes (like 911 and 411). When Bell Telephone broke up there were only 12 unused area codes (but extending to X10 provided a few more for a few years).
TRIVIA QUESTIONS
1) The four simplest area codes to dial with a rotary phone were 212, 213, 312, and 313. Who got these area codes?
2) What was the significance of middle digit 0 or middle digit 1 when they were introduced?
3) What is different about the bolded area codes?
4) After Bell Telephone broke up two new area codes were issued that caused massive controversy (718 and 818). Why?
5) After the breakup of Bell the 12 remaining codes were used. The X10 provided another eight (710 was used for a now aborted plan for the federal government).
In 1992 area code 917 involved something new. What was it?
June 13th, 2014 at 8:13:46 AM
permalink
1 - New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit. As the four largest cities, they were assigned the quickest area codes to dial by rotary. (Add the three digits, count a 0 as 10. Five is the quickest that could be dialed under the original plan.)
2 - A zero indicated that the area code covered an entire state, and I think province. A one was partial.
5 - The 917 area code was supposed to be exclusively for mobile/pagers. Yay that I have one!
I love NANP stuff.
June 13th, 2014 at 8:18:45 AM
permalink
And duh, writing NANP triggered number 3 -
3 - Those are Canadian area codes. It is the North American Numbering Plan, after all...
June 13th, 2014 at 8:24:09 AM
permalink
Quote: AcesAnd8sI love NANP stuff.
Question #4 refers to something that they had not been required to do until then.
Question #5 was a good answer, but it could be more complete. It invented a new irritation. What was that?
June 13th, 2014 at 8:30:31 AM
permalink
I can take a WAG on 4
Since 718 is Brooklyn & Queens NY and 818 is part of LA and you mentioned after the break up, I'd guess they are the first splits. I don't think they did overlays then.
June 13th, 2014 at 8:55:33 AM
permalink
Probably horrible guesses.
1) new york city, la, Chicago, um Detroit?
2) 1 was never used for the only area code in the state?
3) their area code is an island shape?
4) 2nd area codes for NYC and la?
5) maps over old area code?
1) new york city, la, Chicago, um Detroit?
2) 1 was never used for the only area code in the state?
3) their area code is an island shape?
4) 2nd area codes for NYC and la?
5) maps over old area code?
June 14th, 2014 at 1:47:17 AM
permalink
Quote: tringlomaneProbably horrible guesses.
No to #3, but good guesses on the other ones.
September 6th, 2021 at 10:31:23 PM
permalink
Thanks for sharing this great information. I loved this post, because this information is cleared many confusions. I have been read about this area codes on many places such as eightyreviews. but my confusions is not clear. Now I am fully satisfied by reading this here.
September 6th, 2021 at 11:15:01 PM
permalink
My county got an overlay area code, so I have to dial 10-11 digits for anyplace within town. The new area code has nothing at all to do with the above charts. With a smartphone, that can dial 10-11 digits for me the 2nd time.
*********************************************************************
https://www.localsyr.com/news/local-news/whatever-happened-to-the-680-area-code-your-stories/
Jan 30, 2020 - SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Thursday afternoon, a man named Tom called NewsChannel 9 with a simple question: “What happened to the 680 area code?”
If you recall, that area code was assigned as a second area code for Central New York. Nearly three years ago, state officials asked for the second area code after predictions that 315 would run out.
According to North American Numbering Plan Administrator, the area code 315 has no unused central office codes left.
Central office codes, also known as exchanges, are the fourth, fifth and sixth digits of a ten-digit telephone number.
By comparison, area code 680 has more than 700 unused codes available, the equivalent of more than seven-million phone numbers, according to NANPA.
There’s no one entity that keeps track of how many numbers there are. Numbers are assigned by the thousands to phone providers.
*********************************************************************
https://www.localsyr.com/news/local-news/whatever-happened-to-the-680-area-code-your-stories/
Jan 30, 2020 - SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Thursday afternoon, a man named Tom called NewsChannel 9 with a simple question: “What happened to the 680 area code?”
If you recall, that area code was assigned as a second area code for Central New York. Nearly three years ago, state officials asked for the second area code after predictions that 315 would run out.
According to North American Numbering Plan Administrator, the area code 315 has no unused central office codes left.
Central office codes, also known as exchanges, are the fourth, fifth and sixth digits of a ten-digit telephone number.
By comparison, area code 680 has more than 700 unused codes available, the equivalent of more than seven-million phone numbers, according to NANPA.
There’s no one entity that keeps track of how many numbers there are. Numbers are assigned by the thousands to phone providers.
Last edited by: ChumpChange on Sep 6, 2021
September 7th, 2021 at 12:58:01 AM
permalink
As far as 718 goes, it was the first time NYC was split up and companies that were in the other Boros didn't want to lose the prestigious 212 area code. It also meant that companies in the new 718 had to change their advertising, their business cards, repaint trucks and vans, etc, etc.
The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction is supposed to make sense.