773 or 312?

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Yeah I think 312 cut off around St. Charles before they brought in 708 and then 630...

Yeah, it cut off at at the edge of Kane County, and once you crossed over into DeKalb County you hit 815 territory, which DeKalb still is today.

[Chicagoland60426]

If you live in suburban Cook County, its possible to get a city( mainly 773) area code for cell /house phone.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Chicagoland60426

If you live in suburban Cook County, its possible to get a city( mainly 773) area code for cell /house phone.

When I got a cell phone, they asked me what area code I spend most of my time in. I told them 773 so that's the area code they assigned me. You might want to ask a cell phone provider if you can pick your area code or if they just assign you one based on your billing address.

As for your house phone, there are two ways to get a 773 area code: get one assigned to you while living in Chicago and then migrate your phone number with you when you move (a few years ago the FCC mandated something call "telephone number portability" which allows you to keep your phone number no matter where you move), or get VOIP telephone service.

To get VOIP service, you have to have high-speed internet. VOIP makes phone calls through your internet connection rather than over the conventional telephone system. If you get VOIP service, you can pick any U.S. area code you want as long as it's not a cell phone-only area code. That's how I got a 630 area code even though I live in the city.

[KevK]

Originally Posted by Drover

When I got a cell phone, they asked me what area code I spend most of my time in. I told them 773 so that's the area code they assigned me. You might want to ask a cell phone provider if you can pick your area code or if they just assign you one based on your billing address.

As for your house phone, there are two ways to get a 773 area code: get one assigned to you while living in Chicago and then migrate your phone number with you when you move (a few years ago the FCC mandated something call "telephone number portability" which allows you to keep your phone number no matter where you move), or get VOIP telephone service.

To get VOIP service, you have to have high-speed internet. VOIP makes phone calls through your internet connection rather than over the conventional telephone system. If you get VOIP service, you can pick any U.S. area code you want as long as it's not a cell phone-only area code. That's how I got a 630 area code even though I live in the city.

In the United States there are no cell phone only area codes. The FCC made that illegal when cell phones were first introduced to prevent the telcos from requiring 10 digit dialing for cell phones while retaining 7 digit dialing for landlines which would favour them. Some countries do have cell phone only codes because they have "caller pays" systems where the person calling a cell phone pays for the call unlike here where the cell phone pays for the call. The FCC and the Bells screwed up plenty here but that is one thing they did right. The cell phone providers will generally give you any local code you want. Me and my wife are 404 and my kids are 678 and 770.
As VOIP and packet switching take over the phone system in coming years, area codes will have less geographic meanning. VOIP means never having to change your phone number even if you move from Chicago to Los Angeles.

[alwaystraveling25]

Originally Posted by KevK

Is it hard to get a 312 on a cell phone? The original 404 code here can be hard to get. 678 is what you usually get

I moved here in March, and it was easy to get a 312 number, even though where I live (Lakeview) has 773 Landlines.

I went to the Verizon store, told them I wanted a 312 number, and that was it. I was able to pick between several prefixes for the phone. All in all, it took about 30 minutes, and that included setting up my BlackBerry. It is not that hard to get a 312 number, not when you compare it to wanting a 917 number in NYC.

[scarletneon]

I like 312. plus, every digit (except the last one) in my cell phone number is either 3, 1, 2 or a multiple of 3 and 2.

i think i may have the easiest number ever.