The U.S. Area Code 917 was established in 1947 and was originally only to be used by the telephone company’s Long Lines department, which covered much of the Northeastern United States. The code now falls under the New York Telephone area code, alongside 718, 347, 516, 646, and 838. Over the past year or so, the 917 area code has gained some notoriety as an overlay area code used by scammers to make their telephone calls harder to trace. Who exactly are these scammers? And why do they use this area code?
917 area code history:
The 917 area code is an overlay for all other area codes in New York City (212, 516, 718, and 347). In Manhattan, it covers numbers starting with 1 through 8. It was created in 1997 when it was split off from 212 and assigned to new phone numbers. Previously, that Manhattan additional area code would have been just 212. Initially, only cell phones were given a 917 number, but landlines are also now being issued that prefix as well.
However, many of those landlines were reassigned to different prefixes (such as 347) because of overload issues. Numbers that begin with 2 or 3 have always remained part of 212—that section didn’t get its own area code until 2002 when 2 and 3 became their own distinct exchanges.
Oddly enough, 917 isn’t even reserved exclusively for New York City; certain areas of Connecticut also use it—for example, Greenwich residents will often find a 917 area code pop up on their caller ID alongside 203! Another fascinating fact about 917 is that a whopping 97% of all calls originating within its boundaries are local ones—meaning they’re either made or received within metropolitan NYC itself. This makes sense considering how huge NYC itself is, but it still stands out among other area codes around America where there’s more regional dispersion.
What is the 917 area code?
New York City is on area code 917. In 1991, New York City was split into five different area codes — 212, 332, and 646 are in Manhattan. 347 is in The Bronx and 718 covers Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. So what happened to 914 and 845 — two other area codes that covered New York City prior to 1991?
Those numbers were reassigned to parts of upstate New York as well as a few small pockets of Connecticut. So who uses 917 now? Well, it depends on how you look at it. Anyone can get any area code they want with just a call to their phone company or cell phone provider. However, if you live in or around New York City proper you will likely have to use 917 because there simply aren’t enough numbers left for everyone else — not even close.
There are ten area codes currently in use throughout America; every state except Alaska has been assigned one by either AT&T, Verizon, Sprint Nextel, or some combination thereof. There used to be three more — 303, 314, and 415 (San Francisco) — but those have since been absorbed by neighboring areas.
What time zone does area code 917 follow?
All of area code 917 is in a single code timezone. The time zone is Eastern time or Standard eastern Time. For example, if you were to call from eastern New York (Long Island) and receive a mobile phone call from Northern California (San Francisco), it would be 4 PM on both ends. This includes all of Manhattan, as well as northern and central parts of Long Island such as Riverhead and Stony Brook.
The exception to most of these areas is Westchester County, which borders New York City but follows eastern Daylight Savings Times square rather than EST. What time zones are considered the East Coast?: Technically, anywhere within 300 miles or so of New York City can be called the East Coast. Just kidding – but not by much! The U.S. Census Bureau considers Maine to be part of the Northeast, for instance; in contrast with Virginia or North Carolina, which fall under the South.
What calls does 917 cover?
The 917 area code belongs to New York City. It is primarily located in Manhattan, but it also covers other locations in New York City as well as small portions of northern New Jersey and southern Connecticut. The 917 area code is considered an overlay code that was created to support cell code phone service for customers within these areas.
Calls from landlines are routed through a separate numbering overlay plan called 212. What calls does 917 cover?: Anywhere you see 069 or 646 coverage, you will also get 917 services for free. If you see 876 or 347 coverage and your carrier supports one of those telephone code (meaning if you paid extra money to include them in your calling package), then you may be able to make free calls on those numbers too! What countries use +1-917?: There are dozens of countries around the world that use +1, including the United States itself!
Area code 917 location map:
The area code 917 is located in New York and New Jersey. Area code 917 or 917 area code – location covers Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island in New York City; as well as Hudson County (Jersey City, Hoboken, and Union City) in New Jersey. Area code 908 serves southeastern Pennsylvania which includes Philadelphia. Area code 201 covers Delaware, most of Maryland, and parts of New Jersey. Area codes 312, 315, and 331 cover almost all of Illinois, covering everything outside Chicago itself.
What regions could a 917 call come from?
Your 917 call could come from many different sources depending on which area code you have. The New York City metropolitan area encompasses four counties within two states. The first three digits of a 917 call can determine which of these counties is sending you your call. For example, calls coming from a 212 area code are bound to be from Manhattan. A 646 number means that your phone is being called by a business in Brooklyn or Queens. In the Bronx and Staten Island, it would be a 718 number. Finally, 917 numbers typically refer to Manhattan and Westchester County in New York State.
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