Long Island Mike
Senior Member
Everyone: I have noticed over time that some people like to be known for their telephone area codes. In some cases people sometimes judge other people by the area code in which they reside. With all these new area codes that have had to be used in recent years due to the electronics and cellphone boom it seems to have placed a damper on this. There are posts that refer to area codes on this forum as well as members that use area codes in their online names as good examples.
When the Bell System started using area codes every one had to have a 1 or 0 for the middle number and the largest cities-back in rotary phone days-got numbers that had the shortest dial length-212 for NY City and 213 for Los Angeles are the best examples of this. Over time and especially with recent day changes,that area code prestige has changed. Telephone companies have learned that some people take their area code number very seriously.
Some examples I recall are: when the 718 area code was began in the 80s in NYC there were people that were quite upset about losing that familiar 212 phone number. Some people also were thinking that phone companies would charge toll call rates for previous local calls-but that did not happen usually.
I recall watching a dating show-I believe it was Love Connection in the early 90s-watching a young Italian-American male from NYC describe his date with a girl from Long Island that did not go off well. The thing he said that sticks in my mind was "I don't date 516 girls" as a reference to the girl being from LI.
Speaking of LI,when Nassau and Suffolk counties were to be split by area code 10 or so years ago there was a feud of sorts about which county would keep 516-Nassau ended up getting it with Suffolk getting the new 631 area code. I saw first hand how attached some LIers were to that 516 phone area code.
How was it in the Toronto area when the 416 area code was split and the new 905 code began? From what I see,416 is now only the Unified City of Toronto.
Are people in other areas in Ontario known by their area codes-like 519?
How about a major city elsewhere like Montreal with its 514?
I am looking forward to some interesting insight on this here.
Thanks to all in advance-LI MIKE
When the Bell System started using area codes every one had to have a 1 or 0 for the middle number and the largest cities-back in rotary phone days-got numbers that had the shortest dial length-212 for NY City and 213 for Los Angeles are the best examples of this. Over time and especially with recent day changes,that area code prestige has changed. Telephone companies have learned that some people take their area code number very seriously.
Some examples I recall are: when the 718 area code was began in the 80s in NYC there were people that were quite upset about losing that familiar 212 phone number. Some people also were thinking that phone companies would charge toll call rates for previous local calls-but that did not happen usually.
I recall watching a dating show-I believe it was Love Connection in the early 90s-watching a young Italian-American male from NYC describe his date with a girl from Long Island that did not go off well. The thing he said that sticks in my mind was "I don't date 516 girls" as a reference to the girl being from LI.
Speaking of LI,when Nassau and Suffolk counties were to be split by area code 10 or so years ago there was a feud of sorts about which county would keep 516-Nassau ended up getting it with Suffolk getting the new 631 area code. I saw first hand how attached some LIers were to that 516 phone area code.
How was it in the Toronto area when the 416 area code was split and the new 905 code began? From what I see,416 is now only the Unified City of Toronto.
Are people in other areas in Ontario known by their area codes-like 519?
How about a major city elsewhere like Montreal with its 514?
I am looking forward to some interesting insight on this here.
Thanks to all in advance-LI MIKE
