The blue area is New York State; the red area is area code 212 and overlays 646 and 917

Area code 212 is a telephone area code in New York City.

New York City was originally given area code 212 when area codes were assigned in 1947, because it is the fastest area code that could be dialed with a rotary dial given the numbering plan. At the time, 0 and 1 were not allowed as the first digit, the second digit was either 0 or 1, and the third digit could not be 0 or 1 if the second digit was 1.

Today, only the borough of Manhattan retains the 212 area code, which is overlaid with area codes 646 and 917. The area codes for the other boroughs of New York City are now 718 and, more recently, 347. The Bronx was the last outer borough to lose the 212 code. Most cell phones in all five boroughs use the area codes 917 and 646; some new cell phones use 347.

The 212 area code is arguably one of the most-recognized American area codes. Among some Manhattanites, it is considered a "prestige" code, far more desirable than the newer 646 code, as parodied in "The Maid" episode of Seinfeld which aired before the new area code was actually enacted.

Marble Hill

One Manhattan neighborhood, Marble Hill, is not in the 212 area code, but rather in the 718/347 code. Marble Hill, although legally a part of Manhattan to this day, was geographically severed from Manhattan by the construction of the Harlem River Ship Canal in 1895. It was physically connected to the Bronx in 1914 when the by-passed segment of the Harlem River was filled in.

See also

• List of NANP area codes
• North American Numbering Plan

External links

• North American Numbering Plan Administration
• NANPA Area Code Map of New York
• Whitepages Area code Map

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