Nov 042009
If you haven’t heard, starting Sat. Nov. 7th, Chicago will be getting a new area code in addition to 312 and 773. The new area code will be 872. As someone that has to deal with telecom as part of work, this is something that has been on my radar for awhile. Although this is the first time that I had to address it at work.
For Illinois, this will make our 13th area code, 10 of those are in the “northern” section of the state. In other worse, what I would describe as Extended Chicago-land (which I see as the distance from Chicago not being that unreasonable, and even tolerable as a work commute). The 10th of these area codes goes active this Saturday. Like the last several area codes to be added into the mix, this new one is an overlap, specifically of the ones that cover the City of Chicago, and not the suburbs which have their own share of dual area codes. Although aside from the having to change habits, the addition of the new area code is hardly news worthy. However it is an interesting comentary on that even the capital of Illinois only has one area code that covers it as well as a good size chunk of the state. It really shows that the focus is in the northern part of the state.
Realistically the extra digits I have gotten use to, as most if not all cell phone providers will let you do the 11 digit dialing now. I find that it actually screws me up when trying to dial on a land line because I am so use to dialing the extra numbers, and land lines do not react well to the extra numbers. So in a way this will make my life easier. Looking at this on a larger scale though, when you consider how many numbers are focused in the northern part of Illinois, compared to the bulk of the state, you can’t help but wonder if all these numbers are necessary. I have to admit, between work and home, I have 4 different numbers that are exclusively assigned to me. I am also not the only one in my office that has 4+ numbers between work and home. The down side is that it is now one more area code to remember. It makes you wish for the days when it was just a few area codes to cover the same amount of physical space. It also makes me want to hold on to my phone number even more, there is something to be said for having a phone number issued from the areas that are full.
So what does this means for those of us living or working in these area codes (or any of the others that are in the overlay areas)? We have to dial 11 digit dialing now, which translates into 1 + Area Code + Phone Number (although realistically we only have to remember 10 of those). The exception to this is the 708 area code which at this time has not needed to add another area code. I would guess that it is a matter of time for them.
For Additional Information, please see the City of Chicago‘s Website. It goes into far more detail about why this is happening and how to deal with.
Rachel
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