Which Interstate goes through the most area codes??

[zachary_amaryllis]

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

what is 970, chopped liver? they have to be running out of number in 970, since its like the west/north/northeast part of the state, plus the northern front range..

[JayhawkCO]

what is 970, chopped liver? they have to be running out of number in 970, since its like the west/north/northeast part of the state, plus the northern front range..

If the FoCo/Greeley area keeps growing like it has been, I'm sure it won't be long.



As a side topic, I think there are only a few 2dis that are tied for the fewest area codes passed through:
I-2
I-14
I-19
I-27
I-69W
I-69C
All Alaska interstates
All Hawaii interstates

Did I miss any?

Chris

[1995hoo]

....

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

....

There are multiple Virginia secondary routes numbered 703 within the 703 area code. The most notable, in my mind, is Shreve Road in Fairfax County.

[SkyPesos]

Here's another exercise for this thread: take the length of an interstate and divide it by the number of area codes for the average number of miles per area code. Let's see which interstate have the lowest, or most frequent.

I-70: 2172.16/35 = 62.06
I-75: 1786.47/31 = 57.63
I-90: 3020.44/39 = 77.45
I-95: 1919.31/60 = 31.99

As for the remaining interstates that goes through Ohio not mentioned upthread already:
I-71 (14): 502, 859, 513, 937, 740/220, 614/380, 419/567, 330/234, 440, 216
345.57/14 = 24.68
I-74 (9): 309, 217, 765, 316/463, 513, 336/743, 910
491.74/9 = 54.64
I-76 (18): 303/720, 970, 308, 330/234, 724/878, 412, 814, 717/223, 610/484, 215/267/445, 856
622.14/18 = 34.56
I-77: (15): 803, 704/980, 828, 336/743, 276, 304/681, 740/220, 330/234, 440, 216
610.1/15 = 40.67

[US 89]

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

All interior western states but one don't even have a state highway matching any of their area codes. That one is NM, which has both a NM 505 and a NM 575... but of course, they are both located in the wrong half of the state.

[hobsini2]

I can tell you from personal experience, in the 40 years that my parents have lived in the same house in suburban Chicago, our land line went from 312 to 708 to 630. Then we all got cell phones and gave up our land line.

[DJDBVT]

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

207 in Maine

401 in RI

[DTComposer]

I'll do I-5 since it's nearest me.

WA: 360, 425, 206, 253
OR: 503/971, 541/458
CA: 530, 916/279, 209, 559, 661, 626, 213/323, 714/657, 949, 760, 858, 619

23

For CA you can add 818/747 and 562, and remove 626.

[webny99]

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

207 in Maine

Also NY 315 is at least partially in area code 315.

[frankenroad]

what is 970, chopped liver? they have to be running out of number in 970, since its like the west/north/northeast part of the state, plus the northern front range..

If the FoCo/Greeley area keeps growing like it has been, I'm sure it won't be long.

According to NANPA, 970 is expected to run out of prefixes in 2028.
https://nationalnanpa.com/reports/2021-1NPAExhaustProjectionsFinal.pdf

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Minnesota historically had TH 218 in area code 218.

[dlsterner]

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).

US 301 passes through area code 301 in Maryland.  (I think we already have a thread on this?)

[SkyPesos]

I can tell you from personal experience, in the 40 years that my parents have lived in the same house in suburban Chicago, our land line went from 312 to 708 to 630. Then we all got cell phones and gave up our land line.

Were landlines forced to change their area code if their area split off from the previous code? 

[hotdogPi]

The four "what were they thinking" area codes:

From the "low number wasted" department: 315, 413
From the "you don't know how to split a state by population" department: 228, 308. Possibly 432 and 325, but I'm not sure.

Are there any other really bad ones?

[jeffandnicole]

I can tell you from personal experience, in the 40 years that my parents have lived in the same house in suburban Chicago, our land line went from 312 to 708 to 630. Then we all got cell phones and gave up our land line.

Were landlines forced to change their area code if their area split off from the previous code? 

Yes, because that's what a split required.

Splits were generally unpopular, and eventually it was decided they phone system would just do overlays instead.

[SkyPesos]

I can tell you from personal experience, in the 40 years that my parents have lived in the same house in suburban Chicago, our land line went from 312 to 708 to 630. Then we all got cell phones and gave up our land line.

Were landlines forced to change their area code if their area split off from the previous code? 

Yes, because that's what a split required.

Splits were generally unpopular, and eventually it was decided they phone system would just do overlays instead.

my condolences to everyone that lost their 212 number due to a split

[US 89]

Splits were generally unpopular, and eventually it was decided they phone system would just do overlays instead.

At one point overlays were even more unpopular. Back in 2001, Iowa's 319 area code was to receive an overlay with area code 563, but this apparently received a good deal of public pushback because of the requirement for 10-digit dialing, and they wound up going with a geographic split instead.

[Rothman]

The four "what were they thinking" area codes:

From the "low number wasted" department: 315, 413
From the "you don't know how to split a state by population" department: 228, 308. Possibly 432 and 325, but I'm not sure.

Are there any other really bad ones?

Not sure what you mean by low number wasted.

[hotdogPi]

The four "what were they thinking" area codes:

From the "low number wasted" department: 315, 413
From the "you don't know how to split a state by population" department: 228, 308. Possibly 432 and 325, but I'm not sure.

Are there any other really bad ones?

Not sure what you mean by low number wasted.

Back when there were dials, longer numbers took longer to dial, where 0 counted as 10. This is why 212, 213, and 312 are for major metro areas. 315 (sum 9) and 413 (sum 8) are low but aren't in major metros.

[bwana39]

I can tell you from personal experience, in the 40 years that my parents have lived in the same house in suburban Chicago, our land line went from 312 to 708 to 630. Then we all got cell phones and gave up our land line.

Were landlines forced to change their area code if their area split off from the previous code? 

Yes, because that's what a split required.

Splits were generally unpopular, and eventually it was decided they phone system would just do overlays instead.

When was the original overlay outside of NYC? 972.  Texas had previously split 903 off of 214 and spilt several others in Texas. JC Penney had just moved to Plano. They proposed another split for all but Dallas county and the parts of the city of Dallas that were in other counties.  Penney would have been moved to 972. They objected. So in spite of most of Collin, Ellis, Kaufman,  and Rockwall counties (and  bits of Tarrant, Denton, Grayson, and Hunt Counties) being changed to 972 they used an overlay and instituted 10-digit local dialing. I don't think there has been another split since in Texas.

As to the 903/430 overlay in northeast Texas, 430 is still not being used that much. I don't know if it is the idea that 430 is kind of like in a Seinfeld episode where Jerry was almost neurotic to get a 212 area code back or if the usage just has not dictated widespread usage of 430.

[frankenroad]

The four "what were they thinking" area codes:

From the "low number wasted" department: 315, 413
From the "you don't know how to split a state by population" department: 228, 308. Possibly 432 and 325, but I'm not sure.

Are there any other really bad ones?

Not sure what you mean by low number wasted.

Back when there were dials, longer numbers took longer to dial, where 0 counted as 10. This is why 212, 213, and 312 are for major metro areas. 315 (sum 9) and 413 (sum 8) are low but aren't in major metros.

I have seen it speculated that a clerical error accidentally switched 617 and 413 in Massachusetts somewhere along the line.  It makes sense that Boston would have had a low-dial pull code like 413.  Don't know the reason for 315; you would think that 716, which originally had both Rochester and Buffalo, would have gotten 315.  Maybe another clerical error??

[rlb2024]

95:
60 (207, 603, 978/351, 617/857, 781/339, 508/774, 401, 860/959, 203/475, 914, 212/332/646/917, 201/551, 973/862, 908, 732/848, 215/267/445, 610/484, 302, 410/443/667, 301/240, 202, 703/571, 540, 804, 434, 252, 919/984, 910, 843/854, 912, 904, 386, 407, 772, 561, 954/754, 305/786)

90:
39 (206, 425, 509, 208/986, 406, 307, 605, 507, 608, 815/779, 847/224, 773/872, 312, 219, 574, 260, 419/567, 440, 216, 814, 716, 585, 315/680 (why did they waste a low number), 518/838, 413 (another low number wasted), 508/774, 781/339, 617/857)

10: 39 (310/424, 213/323, 626, 909, 951, 760/442, 928, 623, 602, 480, 520, 575, 915, 432, 325, 830, 210/726, 361, 979, 731, 281/346/832, 409, 337, 225, 985, 504, 601/779, 228 (really, you had to make it that small?), 251, 850, 386, 904)

Side note: do all six of New Jersey's area codes (ignoring overlays) go blue?

I-10 does not go through area codes 601 and 779 in Mississippi.  It only goes through the 228 area code.

[ftballfan]

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

207 in Maine

M-231 barely misses entering area code 231. M-231 spends its entire route in area code 616. Area code 231 was split off of 616 about 20 years ago.