List of New York Telephone Exchanges
By Kevin Carr
Telephone numbers have evolved over the years as the technology has become better and the number of phones have increased. The traditional American phone number includes a three-digit area code, then a three-digit exchange, followed by the four-digit line number. Exchanges began as the first two letters of a geographic location, such as 222 in Manhattan originally standing for AC2 -- Academy 2. As more cellular phones and fax machines required new numbers, new area codes were created, each serving a new set of exchanges.
Area Code 212
The 212 area code covers 14 counties in 1492 zip codes for New York City. It is the main number associated with the borough of Manhattan and has been in effect since 1947. It includes 782 exchanges, ranging from 200 through 999. Areas of New York included in the 212 area code are Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Jersey City, Long Island City, Yonkers, Astoria and Hoboken. All of the exchanges in 212 are landlines.
Area Code 347
The 347 area code was created in the late 1990s to cover the expanding number of cell phones and pagers that required a unique phone number, though it has both landline and mobile exchanges. It includes exchanges from the 200 block to the 900 block. Areas of New York included in the 347 area code are Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island.
Area Code 646
Like the 347 area code, 646 was created to cover the expanding number of cell phones and pagers that required a unique phone number. It includes exchanges located primarily in Manhattan as an overlay of the 212 and 917 area codes.
Area Code 718
The 718 area code covers 10 counties in 1036 zip codes for New York City. It includes 717 landline exchanges and 59 mobile exchanges, ranging from 200 through 999. Areas of New York included in the 718 area code are Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island, Flushing, Jamaica, Astoria, Forest Hills, Elmhurst and Woodside.
Area Code 917
Like the 347 and 646 area codes, 917 was created to cover the expanding number of cell phones and pagers that required a unique phone number. It was the first area code that overlaid a geographic area for this purpose in 1992. It includes mostly cellular exchanges located through the five boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx.
Area Code 929
Area code 929 was assigned in 2010 to overlay the 718 and 917 area codes of the outer boroughs of New York City. It includes landline and mobile devices.
Additional New York State Area Codes
Because New York is such a large city, area codes in surrounding areas and states cover the metropolitan area. These area codes include 315, 516, 518, 585, 607, 631, 716, 845 and 914, each one with close to 800 exchanges.
List of Exchanges
Every area code includes exchanges from 200 to 999, which is close to 800 available for each. Published telephone books and online resources like the White Pages provide lists of these available exchanges.
References
Writer Bio
Kevin Carr has been writing for a variety of outlets and companies since 1991. He has contributed to McGraw-Hill textbooks for middle school and high school, written for the Newspaper Network of Central Ohio and has been a featured film critic for online publications including 7M Pictures and Film School Rejects. Carr holds a Bachelor of Science in education.