New area code, same attitude.
The Big Apple will start handing out the new area code on June 18, after the city officially ran out of phone numbers for existing area codes.
Happening every few years — and bruising your ego along the way — the state board has approved the long-awaited request by wireless companies, ending the caller ID crisis.
“There is a clear need for more telephone numbers as a result of economic growth and activity in the New York City metro areas; therefore, an additional area code is required,” said Rory M. Christian, chair of the state’s Public Service Commission, which approved the added code.
This means, for any new phone numbers in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Manhattan’s Marble Hill neighborhood, you’ll see a new three-digit prefix.
So what are your new digits? The 465.
That area code will now serve the same parts of the city with those who already share 347, 718, 917 and 929.
New Yorkers won’t need to change their badge of honor just yet. Only those who live in those regions and need a new line will be given the 465 area code.
Existing land and cellphone lines with the older codes will keep their current phone numbers. Call prices and local rates will also remain the same.
The switch is led by the North American Numbering Plan Administrator, NANPA, who is responsible for issuing and managing telephone numbers across the United States, Canada and some areas in the Caribbean.
The organization hands out millions of numbers every year, tracking number inventories nationwide. It then predicts when area codes will run out of available numbers — hence the new digits.
New York City has seen numerous new area codes pop up with the most recent switch back in 2011, when 929 rolled out.
For years, Gotham City held the 212 area code — screaming old school — until it was absolutely exhausted and the need for new numbers was forced in 1984.
While Manhattan kept 212, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island moved to 718. And as the city grew, so did the codes.
In 1992, the first citywide overlay was rolled out in all five boroughs for cell phones and pagers — the 917.
Then came the 646. This was added back in 1999 and was the dedicated area code added for Manhattan.
The trend continued and number fatigue got the much-needed relief.
Starting June 18, the new 465 chapter begins.
If you’re one of the New Yorkers about to lose your civic pride, we feel for you. As Carrie Bradshaw shouted, “I’m a 917 girl.”
