Area code 212
The system of prefixing three-digit area codes came into being in 1947 when the division of country according to the telephone network was implemented. This new system was design and plan of two eminent telephone companies AT&T and Bell Laboratories. Area codes route and allocate the telephone numbers within the telephone network system. The area codes also known as Numbering Plan Areas are three digit number codes which are added before a phone number if you are calling destination is a place outside your area code, calling from cell phones or the number is within the overlay plan. Under one area code, there are several counties which are divided down into cities and several telephone exchanges.
According to this system, eighteen major cities of USA were allotted specific area codes in 1947. These cities were the most densely populated ones which included New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles etc. The first area codes that were created were made of low digits like 1, 2, and 3. At that time, there were no touch-tone phones. And rotary phones could dial these numbers fast. Since large numbers of calls were made to these cities, so low digit area codes were allotted for them. The rotary dial took quite lesser time to come back to the original position and connect the line. The idea was to speed-up the procedure of making calls.
On the other hand, states like rural parts of Texas or Tennessee were thinly populated. The numbers of calls made to and from these locations were fewer. Hence these states were assigned area codes with high digits like 0, 7, 8 and 9. With being the rotary phone being obsolete, this theory became useless. However, the division that already had been made exists till today.
Area code 212 belongs to New York City. This is one of the first original codes that were created in the year 1947. At that time, there was another theory about creating area codes. 0 and 1 could not be the first digit, second digit had to be 0 or 1 and the third digit could not match with the second one. Area code 212 was assigned to New York because it is the fastest number you could dial from a phone with rotary dial.
Presently, 212 covers the heart of New York City, that is Manhattan. However, area code 212 is overlaid by two additional codes 646 and 917. Later as the city grew and along with that population as well as demand for more phones increased, two more area codes were added to the city- 718 and 347. The last borough that lost the original code was Bronx. However the cell phone numbers use 917, 646 and very recently, 347 as prefixes to the original number.
To the resident New Yorkers, loss of 212 code is a big one as it had been a matter of honor to have the first and most recognized area code. However, New Yo0rk being the business capital of the world, all the leading telephone companies find it being fortunate to accomplish business here. As a result, companies like Comcast, T-Mobile, Verizon, US Cellular, Swisscom, Sigma Telecommunications, Time Warner Telecommunication, Vonage etc.