Area codes 718, 347, and 929

The blue area is New York State and Manhattan; the red area is area code 718.

North American area codes 718, 347, and 929 are New York City telephone area codes in the boroughs of The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, as well as the Marble Hill section of Manhattan. They are overlaid by area code 917, which covers the entirety of New York City.

History

Until 1984, all of New York City had been served by area code 212 for 37 years. New York Telephone required a new area code to "prevent an impending exhaustion of telephone numbers."^[1] On February 1, 1984, the New York Public Service Commission voted to create a new area code to serve Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, amidst protests and threats of legal action from local and state officials. Entering service on September 1, 1984, the new area code was implemented so that the city's three million telephone numbers were split roughly in half. Permissive dialing of 212 continued across New York City until January 1, 1985.^[1]

On July 1, 1992, the borough of The Bronx and the Manhattan neighborhood of Marble Hill were split from 212 and added to numbering plan area 718. A permissive dialing period for using either area code 212 or 718 in the affected area lasted until May 16, 1993.^[2][3]

On October 1, 1999, area code 347 was added as an overlay code to area code 718.

On December 16, 2009, the New York Public Service Commission approved an additional overlay code for the 718/347 numbering plan area.^[4] On January 22, 2010, NeuStar announced another overlay code (929) for the New York City 718 and 347 area codes of boroughs outside Manhattan.^[5][6] Area code 929 became effective on April 16, 2011.^[7] This had the effect of assigning 23.4 million numbers to an area of 6.7 million people.

Area code 917 overlays area codes 718, 347, and 929, as well as area codes 212, 646 and 332 in Manhattan.

Future

The 347/718/929 NPA is projected to be exhausted by 2028.^[8]

Marble Hill

Marble Hill, a neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan, is physically located on the U.S. mainland adjacent to The Bronx.

One Manhattan neighborhood, Marble Hill, is not in the 212/646/332 area code but the 718/347/929 codes.^[9]

Marble Hill used to be attached to Manhattan Island.^[9] After the Harlem River Ship Canal was built in 1895, Marble Hill was physically separated from Manhattan Island.^[10] Soon after, the Spuyten Duyvil Creek was filled in with landfill, physically connecting Marble Hill to the Bronx.^[9] Per the Greater New York Charter of 1897, Marble Hill is legally part of the borough of Manhattan.^[9]

When the 718 numbering plan area was extended to the Bronx, Marble Hill residents unsuccessfully fought to stay in 212.^[9] Marble Hill was tributary to the Bronx central offices, and it would have been too expensive for New York Telephone to reroute the neighborhood's trunks.

In popular culture

The 718 area code was celebrated in the 1998 2 Skinnee J's song "718", in which the rappers tell of people moving from Manhattan (212) to other boroughs (718) for lower rent.^[11]

Hip-hop group Theodore Unit (which includes Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah) released an album entitled 718, an homage to their home of Staten Island, which is contained within the 718 area code. Rapper/actor Mos Def refers to the 718 area code in his song "Sunshine", and in M.O.P.'s song "Ante Up", they mention "repping 1–718 dangerously".

"718" is a track produced by DJ Premier from Jaz-O & Immobilarie album Kingz Kounty.

The area code was briefly mentioned in the song "Don't Be One", which is part of the Felony album by American metalcore band Emmure.

The mixtape Return of the PLK contains the song titled "718 Nigga" by Rapper Lloyd Banks.

The FannyPack album See You Next Tuesday contains the song "Seven One Eight". This song was featured in the Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 episode "Paris...".

The area code was mentioned as part of Barney Stinson's citation of many New York area codes in the How I Met Your Mother episode "No Tomorrow".

On the episode of Seinfeld entitled "The Maid," Elaine says that she used to be "a 718" which made her "cry every night".

"718" was referred to in the "Salon of the Dead" episode of Gossip Girl as the "slums".

Included in the 2001 song "Area Codes" as one of the many locations where rapper Ludacris has "hoes".^[12]

A number from the +1-347 area code appears as "Come forth and call 489-4608, and I'll be here"^[13] in the lyrics of "Diary", a track on album The Diary of Alicia Keys.^[14]

In Sex and the City, when Carrie returns from Mexico and her personal assistant Louise procures a new cell phone number, Louise begins to tell Carrie her new phone number, beginning with the 347 area code. Carrie interrupts insisting she's a "917 girl," to which Louise responds, "Now you're a 347 girl."

See also

• List of New York area codes
• List of NANP area codes
• North American Numbering Plan

References

Coordinates: 40°43′N 73°52′W / 40.72°N 73.87°W / 40.72; -73.87