Which Interstate goes through the most area codes??

[Bruce]

It should be noted that Western WA has a new overlay code (564) that went into effect a few years ago.

[Flint1979]

Just read a bit of the original area codes system. So the area code numbers were based on how many dials you do on a rotary phone, which is the digits of an area code added up, with 10 for 0. For example, for 212, 2+1+2=5, which is the smallest, and for the largest city. And the x0x area codes were for full states, like how all of Washington state was 206.

With the 1950 census metro area population (the area codes were established in 1947, so I rounded up to 1950), this is ideally how they would be laid out up to 11 dials, excluding cities that were part of a full state area code (x0x):
212 (5 dials): NYC
213, 312 (6 dials): Chicago, Los Angeles
214, 313, 412 (7 dials): Philadelphia, Detroit, Boston
215, 314, 413, 512 (8 dials): San Francisco, Pittsburgh, St Louis, Cleveland
216, 315, 414, 513, 612 (9 dials): Minneapolis, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Kansas City
217, 316, 415, 514, 613, 712 (10 dials): Houston, Dallas, Indianapolis, San Diego, Youngstown, Albany
218, 317, 416, 515, 614, 713, 812 (11 dials): Columbus, San Antonio, Rochester (NY), Allentown, Springfield (MA), Toledo, Ft Worth

Philadelphia's area code is 215, San Francisco's is 415

[hotdogPi]

That list is what he said they should ideally be, not what they actually are.

[SEWIGuy]

I think the point is that you really don't need area codes any longer.  Ten digit phone numbers are largely just fine.  And in Wisconsin they are going to start requiring dialing all ten digits even if you are in the same area code.

One thing that has gone away with the movement toward mobile - the excitement / dread over getting a new phone number when you move!  My kids are likely to have the same phone numbers they had when they got their mobile phones in high school for the rest of their lives!

[kphoger]

I think the point is that you really don't need area codes any longer.  Ten digit phone numbers are largely just fine.  And in Wisconsin they are going to start requiring dialing all ten digits even if you are in the same area code.

How are area codes no longer needed for landline numbers?

(A year or two ago, Mexico switched to ten-digit dialing for all numbers–whether local, long-distance, landline, cellular, whatever, it's all ten digits  Dialing in from outside the country, one still has to figure out weird prefixes, but they no longer exist for in-Mexico dialing.  It used to be seven digits for local to a landline, 01+ten digits for long-distance to a landline, 044+seven digits for local to a cellular, 045+ten digits for long-distance to a cellular–if I remember correctly.)

[SEWIGuy]

I think the point is that you really don't need area codes any longer.  Ten digit phone numbers are largely just fine.  And in Wisconsin they are going to start requiring dialing all ten digits even if you are in the same area code.

How are area codes no longer needed for landline numbers?

My assumption, and maybe I am wrong about that, is that current technology would allow for any random ten digit number to be assigned to any landline.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Area codes are obsolete due to cellphones (unlike what happens in e.g. Spain, where cellphones have a different number range to landlines). So I'd better combine Interstates and, say, NWS county warning areas. Now I think, I'm going to do that .

[kphoger]

I think the point is that you really don't need area codes any longer.  Ten digit phone numbers are largely just fine.  And in Wisconsin they are going to start requiring dialing all ten digits even if you are in the same area code.

How are area codes no longer needed for landline numbers?

My assumption, and maybe I am wrong about that, is that current technology would allow for any random ten digit number to be assigned to any landline.

Unless something changed recently that I'm unaware of...

You can't even port your landline phone number across a rate center line, even if that's just across the street.  Northwest Arkansas, for example, has multiple rate centers, so a business can't relocate from Rogers to Fayetteville and keep the same number, even though they're in the same area code–much less if they relocated to Oklahoma City!

[achilles765]

It's kind of funny how area codes really aren't necessary anymore with mobile technology.

My wife and I still have our 949 numbers. No need to change them.

Aren't they still necessary Though because of the number of phone numbers that exist? Like what other system could be used so that when someone dials "567-9876"  they get the one they are looking for and not one across the country?

Area codes are something I've always been weirdly interested in. Like I love finding out what an area code is for a region. And I like when new ones come out. And I like original codes in a region. One of the biggest regrets I have was when I moved back to New Orleans in 2014, I changed my number and lost my 713 area code. Now it's next to impossible to get another one. Hell even 281 is getting scarce.
When I first moved back I had to get a 346 number and I was not happy. I finally managed to get it changed to 832 which was better but still not 713

[JayhawkCO]

It's kind of funny how area codes really aren't necessary anymore with mobile technology.

My wife and I still have our 949 numbers. No need to change them.

Aren't they still necessary Though because of the number of phone numbers that exist? Like what other system could be used so that when someone dials "567-9876"  they get the one they are looking for and not one across the country?

Area codes are something I've always been weirdly interested in. Like I love finding out what an area code is for a region. And I like when new ones come out. And I like original codes in a region. One of the biggest regrets I have was when I moved back to New Orleans in 2014, I changed my number and lost my 713 area code. Now it's next to impossible to get another one. Hell even 281 is getting scarce.
When I first moved back I had to get a 346 number and I was not happy. I finally managed to get it changed to 832 which was better but still not 713

Not sure if you saw the news, but Colorado is getting another one.  983 will overlay with 303/720.

Chris

[-- US 175 --]

I-35 (24)
MN: 218, 320, 651, 763, 612, 952, 507
IA: 641, 515
MO: 660, 816
KS: 913, 785, 316, 620
OK: 580, 405/572
TX: 940, 682/817, 214/469/972, 254, 512, 210, 830

Make that 27.  Dallas now has a 4th area code, 945.  San Antonio's 210 is now overlaid with 726.  512 in Austin now has a 2nd also, 737.

[US 89]

It's kind of funny how area codes really aren't necessary anymore with mobile technology.

My wife and I still have our 949 numbers. No need to change them.

Aren't they still necessary Though because of the number of phone numbers that exist? Like what other system could be used so that when someone dials "567-9876"  they get the one they are looking for and not one across the country?

Area codes are something I've always been weirdly interested in. Like I love finding out what an area code is for a region. And I like when new ones come out. And I like original codes in a region. One of the biggest regrets I have was when I moved back to New Orleans in 2014, I changed my number and lost my 713 area code. Now it's next to impossible to get another one. Hell even 281 is getting scarce.
When I first moved back I had to get a 346 number and I was not happy. I finally managed to get it changed to 832 which was better but still not 713

Not sure if you saw the news, but Colorado is getting another one.  983 will overlay with 303/720.

Chris

Cool! I had not seen that. I was sort of surprised the Denver metro lasted this long with just 303/720 given the very rapid growth rate in the region. I am absolutely going to get 983 confused with 986, which is the relatively-new-but-still-little-seen overlay with 208 for all of Idaho.

Unrelated, and although I get why they aren't really done anymore, I wish area code splits were still a thing. I like being able to look at the area code to get a general picture of where something is. Granted most overlays are in metro areas that were already split off from more rural areas, so it's not really a problem... but now that we're starting to see some rural or even whole-state overlays like 208/986 I feel like it's a missed opportunity.

[SkyPesos]

I'm sort of surprised that the Ohio portion of the Cincinnati metro is doing fine with only 513, considering the population is around 1.63m (about 100k below Idaho's population), with no plans of an overlay area code in the near future. Though that means 7 digit dialing is still possible here.

[ran4sh]

It's kind of funny how area codes really aren't necessary anymore with mobile technology.

My wife and I still have our 949 numbers. No need to change them.

Aren't they still necessary Though because of the number of phone numbers that exist? Like what other system could be used so that when someone dials "567-9876"  they get the one they are looking for and not one across the country?

Area codes are something I've always been weirdly interested in. Like I love finding out what an area code is for a region. And I like when new ones come out. And I like original codes in a region. One of the biggest regrets I have was when I moved back to New Orleans in 2014, I changed my number and lost my 713 area code. Now it's next to impossible to get another one. Hell even 281 is getting scarce.
When I first moved back I had to get a 346 number and I was not happy. I finally managed to get it changed to 832 which was better but still not 713

Not sure if you saw the news, but Colorado is getting another one.  983 will overlay with 303/720.

Chris

Cool! I had not seen that. I was sort of surprised the Denver metro lasted this long with just 303/720 given the very rapid growth rate in the region. I am absolutely going to get 983 confused with 986, which is the relatively-new-but-still-little-seen overlay with 208 for all of Idaho.

Unrelated, and although I get why they aren't really done anymore, I wish area code splits were still a thing. I like being able to look at the area code to get a general picture of where something is. Granted most overlays are in metro areas that were already split off from more rural areas, so it's not really a problem... but now that we're starting to see some rural or even whole-state overlays like 208/986 I feel like it's a missed opportunity.

I agree, I think some rural overlay area codes should have been splits instead. In my opinion a split is preferable unless the geographic area covered by the area code is already small enough to be in the same local calling zone.

[jp the roadgeek]

Just realized I-95 passed through 63 different area codes.  Not included were 718/347/929 between 914 and the Manhattan codes when it passes through the Bronx.

[KCRoadFan]

I-5 has to be a top contender, because of all the different area codes that Southern California has. Well, that's what first came to mind for me when I saw the thread title, anyway. Am I right? Where does I-5 rank?

[brad2971]

https://nationalnanpa.com/pdf/PL_556.pdf

The implementation of 988 as a suicide hotline dial-in number will end up slowing down or even stopping Area Code number allotment. In New York state, for example, after 988 is implemented, the only area code that will NOT have mandatory 10-digit dialing is 585. I could see NY state's PSC requiring NPA 585 to implement 10-digit dialing, then erase all NPA boundaries once that is complete. Which would, in effect, make any remaining 718 numbers available to all Upstate NY customers, along with any 315 or 607 numbers available to NYC customers.

And that's just one state. California, for another example, will only have three non-10 digit dialing area codes (831,559, and 661) after 988 is implemented. The CA PUC could require those NPAs to go to 10-digit dialing, and erase all NPA boundaries as well.

[brad2971]

It's kind of funny how area codes really aren't necessary anymore with mobile technology.

My wife and I still have our 949 numbers. No need to change them.

Aren't they still necessary Though because of the number of phone numbers that exist? Like what other system could be used so that when someone dials "567-9876"  they get the one they are looking for and not one across the country?

Area codes are something I've always been weirdly interested in. Like I love finding out what an area code is for a region. And I like when new ones come out. And I like original codes in a region. One of the biggest regrets I have was when I moved back to New Orleans in 2014, I changed my number and lost my 713 area code. Now it's next to impossible to get another one. Hell even 281 is getting scarce.
When I first moved back I had to get a 346 number and I was not happy. I finally managed to get it changed to 832 which was better but still not 713

Not sure if you saw the news, but Colorado is getting another one.  983 will overlay with 303/720.

Chris

I am surprised the CO PUC didn't hold off until the 719 and 970 area codes were firmly in the 10-digit dialing camp. Since the whole state will be under 10-digit dialing, the PUC could have erased the NPA boundaries and made 719/970 numbers available for metro Denver.

Then again, I guess that would have only put off the decision to add 983 by only 3-4 years. So the PUC may as well make 983 a statewide overlay.

[frankenroad]

I'm sort of surprised that the Ohio portion of the Cincinnati metro is doing fine with only 513, considering the population is around 1.63m (about 100k below Idaho's population), with no plans of an overlay area code in the near future. Though that means 7 digit dialing is still possible here.

The overlay area code 283 was assigned to 513 almost 20 years ago, but has yet to be implemented.  There is no date set for implementation.  Interestingly, 283 was chosen because it spells CVG, Cincinnati's airport code.  But the airport is in area code 859.

However, with the introduction of the universal 988 Suicide Hotline number, almost all area codes (including 513) will be required to transition to 10-digit dialing within the next 13 months.

[Scott5114]

Land....lines?! That's a good point.

We had one when we first moved up here but nobody ever called us on it.

They're.... umm.... kind of a big deal, especially for nearly every business you see.  Multiple landline numbers, all over the place.  (Meanwhile, I work for a company that installs landline phone service, yet we use VOIP phones in the office.)  They're also kind of a big deal for elderly people whose Life Line medical alert system is tied into the phone wiring.

Even for business usage, though, landline usage is waning. The company I worked for for 11 years was all VOIP the entire time. (Though I'm not really sure how it was specifically set up, because it had five-digit extensions, and had the unusual quality that if you wanted to dial, say, extension 21226, you could dial (405) ##2-1226 from an outside line, and it would go through. I'm guessing they got ten whole prefixes allocated to them somehow.)

And most small businesses are cellphone-only now. The business's officially-published number is a cell phone belonging to one of the principals of the company. It's cheaper and more convenient to just carry a work cell and a personal cell than it is to set up a land line, especially if you're in a business where you aren't necessarily in one fixed location all the time (like if you're a builder or plumber or something like that).

[Roadgeekteen]

I-878 obviously

[1995hoo]

Regarding I-95, the District of Columbia will get a second area code as an overlay later this year because they're running out of 202 numbers. The new area code is 771; seven-digit dialing within the District will end on October 9.



I've lived in this area long enough to remember when we had seven-digit dialing across area codes for local calls: For my mom in Virginia to call my dad at his office in DC, for example, she just had to dial the seven digits and not the area code. This applied to Maryland's closer suburbs as well. They accomplished this by not repeating exchanges (so if you had a 633-#### in DC, as my father did for work, there were no 633- numbers in nearby Virginia or Maryland within the local calling area). That ended in either the late 1980s or early 1990s as fax machines started proliferating and they needed more exchanges. Full ten-digit dialing for local calls in Virginia and Maryland came later.

(I don't recall whether exchanges were repeated further out in 703 and 301 during the time mentioned above. Some calls within area codes were long-distance because 703 covered a much bigger area then, even down to Roanoke; the 540 area code wasn't split off until sometime in the early 1990s).

[US 89]

Back to the thread topic... nobody has done I-80 yet, so here goes:

CA: 415, 628, 510, 341, 707, 530, 916, 279 (8)
NV: 775 (1)
UT: 435, 801, 385 (3)
WY: 307 (1)
NE: 308, 402, 531 (3)
IA: 712, 515, 641, 319, 563 (5)
IL: 309, 815, 779, 708 (4)
IN: 219, 574, 260 (3)
OH: 419, 567, 440, 330, 234 (5)
PA: 724, 878, 814, 582, 570, 272 (6)
NJ: 908, 973, 862, 201, 551 (5)
Total: 45

[OCGuy81]

On another thread, I was suggesting that if Loop 1604 in San Antonio became an interstate loop, it could be 210.  You'd have 210 running through area code 210.

Are there any examples of a highway with the number of an area code it goes through? 

The closest I can think of around here is that WA-503 comes close to Oregon (503).

[hotdogPi]

Are there any examples of a highway with the number of an area code it goes through? 

207 in Maine