The following chart shows the original 86 Numbering Plan Areas (NPAs, or area codes) assigned in 1947. You can also see the map at map1947.html. Note that in several cases, the boundaries have since been realigned, so that, while many of the area codes are familiar, there are a few surprises. Entries shown in green have not changed (or changed only minutely) in the half century the NANP has existed. The second chart illustrates certain patterns in the initial assignments. A separate page details the evolution from these original area codes to the present day.

Looking for a current list of U.S. & Canada area codes? Go to LincMad’s Locator page!

Original Area Code Assignments (1947)

Code State / Prov. Area Covered
201 New Jersey (entire state)
202 Wash. D.C. Washington, D.C., and nearby federal offices in VA/MD; (202 & 771 overlay in 2021)
203 Connecticut (entire state)
204 Manitoba (entire province) (204 & 431 overlay)
205 Alabama (entire state)
206 Washington (entire state)
207 Maine (entire state)
208 Idaho (entire state) (208 & 986 overlay)
212 New York New York City (all 5 boroughs, but not suburbs)
213 California Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara (south of Tehachapi Mtns.)
214 Texas northeast (Dallas, Fort Worth, Waco)
215 Pennsylvania Philadelphia and surrounding area
216 Ohio northeast (Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown, Canton)
217 Illinois Springfield, East St. Louis
218 Minnesota northern and western (boundary realigned in 1954)
301 Maryland (entire state)
302 Delaware (entire state)
303 Colorado (entire state)
304 West Virginia (entire state) (304 & 681 overlay)
305 Florida (entire state)
306 Saskatchewan (entire province) (306 & 639 & 474 overlay in 2021)
307 Wyoming (entire state)
312 Illinois Chicago and suburbs
313 Michigan Detroit, Jackson (boundary realigned in 1960?)
314 Missouri eastern half (St. Louis) (boundary realigned in 1950)
315 New York Syracuse, Binghamton, Elmira, Utica, Watertown
316 Kansas southern half (Wichita)
317 Indiana northern (Indianapolis, Lafayette, Fort Wayne, Gary, South Bend)
319 Iowa eastern (Cedar Rapids, Davenport/Quad Cities)
401 Rhode Island (entire state)
402 Nebraska (entire state)
403 Alberta (entire province) (Yukon & most of NWT added later)
404 Georgia (entire state)
405 Oklahoma (entire state)
406 Montana (entire state)
412 Pennsylvania Pittsburgh and southwestern area
413 Massachusetts all but metro Boston (boundary realigned in 1960?)
414 Wisconsin southern (Milwaukee, Green Bay, Madison)
415 California central (San Francisco, Sacramento, Bakersfield)
416 Ontario southern peninsula (Toronto, Windsor, London)
418 Québec eastern (Québec ville, Gaspé, Chicoutimi) (418 & 581 & 367 overlay)
419 Ohio northwest (Toledo, Lima, Marion?) (419 & 567 overlay)
501 Arkansas (entire state)
502 Kentucky (entire state)
503 Oregon (entire state)
504 Louisiana (entire state)
505 New Mexico (entire state)
512 Texas south (San Antonio, Austin, Corpus Christi, Laredo, Brownsville)
513 Ohio southwest (Cincinnati, Dayton)
514 Québec western (Montréal, Hull, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières?)
515 Iowa central (Des Moines, Ft. Dodge, Mason City, Ottumwa)
517 Michigan northeast (Lansing, Flint, Saginaw, Alpena) (realigned 1960?)
518 New York northeast (Albany, Schenectady, east Adirondacks)
601 Mississippi (entire state)
602 Arizona (entire state)
603 New Hampshire (entire state)
604 British Columbia (entire province)
605 South Dakota (entire state)
612 Minnesota southeast (Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, Duluth?)
613 Ontario up-province (Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay)
614 Ohio southeast (Columbus)
616 Michigan western (Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, upper peninsula)
617 Massachusetts Boston and suburbs (boundary realigned in 1960?)
618 Illinois southern (Cairo, West Frankfort, NOT East St. Louis)
701 North Dakota (entire state)
702 Nevada (entire state)
703 Virginia (entire state)
704 North Carolina (entire state)
712 Iowa western (Sioux City, Council Bluffs)
713 Texas southeast (Houston, Galveston, Beaumont)
715 Wisconsin northern (Superior, Eau Claire, Wausau, La Crosse)
716 New York western (Buffalo, Rochester, Jamestown, Niagara Falls)
717 Pennsylvania east central (Harrisburg, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport)
801 Utah (entire state)
802 Vermont (entire state)
803 South Carolina (entire state)
812 Indiana southern (Evansville, Terre Haute?)
814 Pennsylvania west central (Erie, Altoona, Punxsutawney) (814 & 582 overlay in 2021)
815 Illinois north (Rockford, Kankakee, Moline/Quad Cities)
816 Missouri western half (Kansas City, Springfield, Joplin, St. Joseph)
901 Tennessee (entire state)
902 Maritime Prov’s. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland & Labrador []
913 Kansas northern half (Kansas City, Topeka, Salina, Manhattan)
914 New York NYC suburbs (Long Island, Westchester County, West Point)
915 Texas western (El Paso, Amarillo, Abilene, Lubbock, Wichita Falls)
916 California extreme north (Eureka, Redding, NOT Sacramento)

A simple pattern unified the original assignments of area codes in 1947. First, any state or province that had only a single area code (or shared an area code with an adjacent province) was assigned an area code with a 0 as the middle digit. All area codes in multi-code states and provinces were assigned with 1 as the middle digit. Since telephones in that day were rotary dial, consideration was also given to the number of “dial pulls” required for each area code; area codes with a small number of dial pulls were assigned to the largest cities and states. Thus, New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago got 212, 213, and 312, while New Jersey, Washington DC, Maryland, and Connecticut got 201, 202, 301, and 203. There were some odd exceptions, though: Dallas, western Massachusetts, and Manitoba were all promoted above their importance in 1947, while Boston, Kansas City (both KS and MO), and the suburbs of New York City were demoted.

201 NJ 301 MD 401 RI 501 AR 601 MS 701 ND 801 UT 901 TN
202 DC 302 DE 402 NE 502 KY 602 AZ 702 NV 802 VT 902 []
203 CT 303 CO 403 AB 503 OR 603 NH 703 VA 803 SC  
204 MB 304 WV 404 GA 504 LA 604 BC 704 NC    
205 AL 305 FL 405 OK 505 NM 605 SD      
206 WA 306 SK 406 MT          
207 ME 307 WY            
208 ID              
               

212 NY 312 IL 412 PA 512 TX 612 MN 712 IA 812 IN  
213 CA 313 MI 413 MA 513 OH 613 ON 713 TX   913 KS
214 TX 314 MO 414 WI 514 QC 614 OH   814 PA 914 NY
215 PA 315 NY 415 CA 515 IA   715 WI 815 IL 915 TX
216 OH 316 KS 416 ON   616 MI 716 NY 816 MO 916 CA
217 IL 317 IN   517 MI 617 MA 717 PA    
218 MN   418 QC 518 NY 618 IL      
  319 IA 419 OH          

Note the clear diagonal patterns in both sets of assignments.

✻ Area code 902 was originally assigned to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, plus what was at the time the U.K. dominion of Newfoundland (now the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador).