The following chart shows the original 86 Numbering Plan Areas (NPAs, or area codes) assigned in 1947. Note that in several cases, the boundaries have since been realigned, so that, while many of the area codes are familiar, there are a few surprises. Entries shown in green have not changed (or changed only minutely) in the half century the NANP has existed. The second chart illustrates certain patterns in the initial assignments. A separate page details the evolution from these original area codes to the present day.

Original Area Code Assignments (1947)

Code	State / Prov.	Area Covered
201	New Jersey	(entire state)
202	Wash. D.C.	Washington, D.C., and nearby federal offices in VA/MD
203	Connecticut	(entire state)
204	Manitoba	(entire province)
205	Alabama	(entire state)
206	Washington	(entire state)
207	Maine	(entire state)
208	Idaho	(entire state)
212	New York	New York City (all 5 boroughs, but not suburbs)
213	California	Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara (south of Tehachapi Mtns.)
214	Texas	northeast (Dallas, Fort Worth, Waco)
215	Pennsylvania	Philadelphia and surrounding area
216	Ohio	northeast (Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown, Canton)
217	Illinois	Springfield, East St. Louis
218	Minnesota	northern and western (boundary realigned in 1954)
301	Maryland	(entire state)
302	Delaware	(entire state)
303	Colorado	(entire state)
304	West Virginia	(entire state)
305	Florida	(entire state)
306	Saskatchewan	(entire province)
307	Wyoming	(entire state)
312	Illinois	Chicago and suburbs
313	Michigan	Detroit, Jackson (boundary realigned in 1960?)
314	Missouri	eastern half (St. Louis) (boundary realigned in 1950)
315	New York	Syracuse, Binghamton, Elmira, Utica, Watertown
316	Kansas	southern half (Wichita)
317	Indiana	northern (Indianapolis, Lafayette, Fort Wayne, Gary, South Bend)
319	Iowa	eastern (Cedar Rapids, Davenport/Quad Cities)
401	Rhode Island	(entire state)
402	Nebraska	(entire state)
403	Alberta	(entire province) (Yukon & most of NWT added later)
404	Georgia	(entire state)
405	Oklahoma	(entire state)
406	Montana	(entire state)
412	Pennsylvania	Pittsburgh and southwestern area
413	Massachusetts	all but metro Boston (boundary realigned in 1960?)
414	Wisconsin	southern (Milwaukee, Green Bay, Madison)
415	California	central (San Francisco, Sacramento, Bakersfield)
416	Ontario	southern peninsula (Toronto, Windsor, London)
418	Québec	eastern (Québec ville, Gaspé, Chicoutimi)
419	Ohio	northwest (Toledo, Lima, Marion?)
501	Arkansas	(entire state)
502	Kentucky	(entire state)
503	Oregon	(entire state)
504	Louisiana	(entire state)
505	New Mexico	(entire state)
512	Texas	south (San Antonio, Austin, Corpus Christi, Laredo, Brownsville)
513	Ohio	southwest (Cincinnati, Dayton)
514	Québec	western (Montréal, Hull, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières?)
515	Iowa	central (Des Moines, Ft. Dodge, Mason City, Ottumwa)
517	Michigan	northeast (Lansing, Flint, Saginaw, Alpena) (realigned 1960?)
518	New York	northeast (Albany, Schenectady, east Adirondacks)
601	Mississippi	(entire state)
602	Arizona	(entire state)
603	New Hampshire	(entire state)
604	British Columbia	(entire province)
605	South Dakota	(entire state)
612	Minnesota	southeast (Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, Duluth?)
613	Ontario	up-province (Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay)
614	Ohio	southeast (Columbus)
616	Michigan	western (Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, upper peninsula)
617	Massachusetts	Boston and suburbs (boundary realigned in 1960?)
618	Illinois	southern (Cairo, West Frankfort, NOT East St. Louis)
701	North Dakota	(entire state)
702	Nevada	(entire state)
703	Virginia	(entire state)
704	North Carolina	(entire state)
712	Iowa	western (Sioux City, Council Bluffs)
713	Texas	southeast (Houston, Galveston, Beaumont)
715	Wisconsin	northern (Superior, Eau Claire, Wausau, La Crosse)
716	New York	western (Buffalo, Rochester, Jamestown, Niagara Falls)
717	Pennsylvania	east central (Harrisburg, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport)
801	Utah	(entire state)
802	Vermont	(entire state)
803	South Carolina	(entire state)
812	Indiana	southern (Evansville, Terre Haute?)
814	Pennsylvania	west central (Erie, Altoona, Punxsutawney)
815	Illinois	north (Rockford, Kankakee, Moline/Quad Cities)
816	Missouri	western half (Kansas City, Springfield, Joplin, St. Joseph)
901	Tennessee	(entire state)
902	Maritime Prov's.	New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Nfld?
913	Kansas	northern half (Kansas City, Topeka, Salina, Manhattan)
914	New York	NYC suburbs (Long Island, Westchester County, West Point)
915	Texas	western (El Paso, Amarillo, Abilene, Lubbock, Wichita Falls)
916	California	extreme north (Eureka, Redding, NOT Sacramento)

A simple pattern unified the original assignments of area codes in 1947. First, any state or province that had only a single area code (or shared an area code with an adjacent province) was assigned an area code with a 0 as the middle digit. All area codes in multi-code states and provinces were assigned with 1 as the middle digit. Since telephones in that day were rotary dial, consideration was also given to the number of "dial pulls" required for each area code; area codes with a small number of dial pulls were assigned to the largest cities and states. Thus, New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago got 212, 213, and 312, while New Jersey, Washington DC, Maryland, and Connecticut got 201, 202, 301, and 203. There were some odd exceptions, though: Dallas, eastern Massachusetts, and Manitoba were all promoted above their importance in 1947, while Boston, Kansas City (both KS and MO), and the suburbs of New York City were demoted.

201 NJ	301 MD	401 RI	501 AR	601 MS	701 ND	801 UT	901 TN
202 DC	302 DE	402 NE	502 KY	602 AZ	702 NV	802 VT	902 **
203 CT	303 CO	403 AB	503 OR	603 NH	703 VA	803 SC
204 MB	304 WV	404 GA	504 LA	604 BC	704 NC
205 AL	305 FL	405 OK	505 NM	605 SD
206 WA	306 SK	406 MT
207 ME	307 WY
208 ID

212 NY	312 IL	412 PA	512 TX	612 MN	712 IA	812 IN
213 CA	313 MI	413 MA	513 OH	613 ON	713 TX		913 KS
214 TX	314 MO	414 WI	514 QC	614 OH		814 PA	914 NY
215 PA	315 NY	415 CA	515 IA		715 WI	815 IL	915 TX
216 OH	316 KS	416 ON		616 MI	716 NY	816 MO	916 CA
217 IL	317 IN		517 MI	617 MA	717 PA
218 MN		418 QC	518 NY	618 IL
	319 IA	419 OH

Note the clear diagonal patterns in both sets of assignments.

** Area code 902 was originally assigned to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

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