Area codes 718, 347, and 929
Area code 718 is a New York City telephone area code (overlaid by area codes 347 and 917) in the buroughs of the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, as well as the Marble Hill section of Manhattan.
At the time of its creation in 1984, the 718 code was assigned only to Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island; the Bronx joined 718 in 1992. Manhattan cell phones may also use the 718 area code.
The 347 area code became effective October 1, 1999[1], as an overlay, which meant that telephone lines which previously had a 718 or 917 area code maintained their number, while the majority of new numbers in the area onward were assigned the 347 area code. The addition of 347 to New York City brings the number of area codes to five: (212, 347, 646, 718, and 917).
On December 16, 2009, the New York Public Service Commission approved an additional overlay of the 718/347 area code region[2][3].
On January 22, 2010, NeuStar-NANPA issued a press release (through PR-NewsWire) that 929 is to be the new area code to further overlay the New York City "outer boroughs" 718 and 347 area codes[4]. The effective dates for new numbers assigned out of the new 929 area code is still to be announced, but it is expected to be during the first or second quarter of 2011. Ten-digit or 1+ten-digit dialing is already mandatory throughout all of the five boroughs of New York City, so there is no dialing transition phase to go through for this and all future overlays for New York City.
Cultural references
Staten Island based clothing company No.718 Brand incorporated '718' into its company name.[5]
This 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.[6]
Hip-hop group Theodore Unit (which includes Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface) 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".
By the early 1980s, rising rents in Manhattan below 96th Street (and fears of crime above it) had forced poorer migrants to New York City away from the borough of Manhattan and towards the other boroughs[citation needed]. The new 718 area code came to symbolize a new economic reality: too poor to afford Manhattan. A t-shirt slogan invoked the different, lower economic status of the area code: "718 and Proud of It."
References
| North: 914, 845, 203/475 | ||
| West: 212/646/917, 201/551, 908, 973/862 | area code 347/718/917 | East: 516, 631 |
| South: 212/646/917, 732/848, Atlantic Ocean | ||
| New Jersey area codes: 201/551, 609/640, 732/848, 856, 908, 973/862 | ||
| Connecticut area codes: 203/475, 860/959 | ||