EXchange names for phone numbers

[Fletch]

In my building are numbers from 3 different exchanges that used to serve separate, but contiguous villages. GReenleaf 8 was for Hastings-on-Hudson, OWens 3 for Dobbs Ferry, LYric 1 (mine) for Irvington.

Some other communities hereabouts had exchanges in their own names, such as YOnkers, MOunt Kisco, SCarsdale and WHite Plains.

 

[Flivver]

I just realized the number at my folks house (where I'm currently staying) has a number starting with 714. Can I even make an exchange name for that? There's none on that site.

I believe that phone numbers with a 1 or 0 in the second position are relatively new...issued long after exchange names went away.

 

[Shangas]

Telephone-exchanges which I picked up over the years, from watching old movies & listening to OTR shows, included...

Tremont.
Pennsylvania (Of PEnnslyvania 6-5000 fame).
Eldorado.
Evergreen.
Skylar.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Not sure where the Z goes.

Up to the early 50s, Z was on the Operator position on the dial. It wasn't used in actual exchange names, but there was a special ZEnith exchange used for certain operator-assist services.

 

[strider_ani]

Not fair. Australia never had this. It's much more interesting then boring numbers. Maybe I can make my own. No idea how. There are no exchange names down here. My number would be 5291 3406. How do you put that into EXchange form?

 

[John in Covina]

Not fair. Australia never had this. It's much more interesting then boring numbers. Maybe I can make my own. No idea how. There are no exchange names down here. My number would be 5291 3406. How do you put that into EXchange form?

********
Here in the US you dial a one for long distance then an area code (XXX) then the exchange section (XXX) and then the final four numbers.

I think direct dialing did not come in until the 50's but an early exchange system was 3 digts followed by three which was replaced with three digits (exchange) followed by 4. When they added area codes then we could direct dial. In Many places you can dial locally and not use the area code so just dialing XXX-XXXX.

For Australia how many digits is a local call or what part is considered the area code?

If you went with the whole number
5=JKL
2=ABC

So words that start with JA, KA, LA present them selves

JAckson
JAkarta
KArl
LAvonda

5291 3406 JAkarta 9 13406

 

[strider_ani]

Intriguing! Absolutely delighted with the result.
In Australia, we use an Area Code which is mainly state based and starts with 0 and is two digits. Victoria is 03. This is however not needed to call unless it's long distance. So your in Victoria and need to call Sydney just say. You would put 02 XXXX XXXX.
That's it really.
Though there is a similar thing with the exchanges because all the numbers in the same area start with the same digits.
So Regional Victoria numbers all start with a 5. But you still need to input it to dial. Also each suburb will have the same first 4 numbers I think. I'm not sure exactly but I remember in Greenvale it's 9333. I remember it because my old friends PH is 9333 3331 and I'd sometimes make a mistake. Then I realized that everyone is Greenvale's number starts with 9333. Actually, now I that I think back on it, I think that the numbers are issued in order, so next door's/across the roads number would be either 1 up or down from yours.
Anyways, you still need to input the 8 numbers to call someone.

 

[DannyBoy]

Haha this is so cool! Thanks for bumping the thread scotrace. It's one of those things I've always heard in old movies and stuff, but never really thought about until now. Luckily both the houses that I've lived in were built in the late 50's/early 60's so I was able to find the exchange names for both the areas - Yorkshire7-xxxx and Alpine7-3525. Even made one up for my cell from the AT&T/Bell recommended exchange names list on the site - Homestead5 - since it's the same name as a road and high school near me, I thought it would fit .

 

[JimInSoCalif]

I believe that phone numbers with a 1 or 0 in the second position are relatively new...issued long after exchange names went away.

Hi Flivver,

That may be correct; I don't know. But, I believe it was only within the past 10 years or so that area codes could have a numeral other than a 1 or 0 as the second digit.

Anyone who listened to The Original Amateur Hour on the radio (a long time ago) has heard of the Murray Hill and one other exchange that I can't think of at the moment. I believe one was a NY exchange and the other a NJ exchange. The phone numbers were given out on the air as the winner was decided by a vote of the listening audience.

In the early 50's I worked for the Telephone company and spent most of my time soldering wires to dusty terminals with no flux. The job was so boring that going in the Army was a relief. The project was to someday allow us to make direct dialed long distance calls.

The system seems to work well, but I am sure all of the wires that I soldered are long gone.

Back in those days the Long Distance Operator would ask for the number you were calling from. I always wondered what would happen if one gave them the wrong number. I have asked about that to people who work for or are retired from the phone company, but have never found anyone familiar with that old switching/billing technology.

Cheers, Jim.

 

[JimInSoCalif]

********
In Many places you can dial locally and not use the area code so just dialing XXX-XXXX.

In the 310 area code, we have had to dial 310 to make a call in the same area for about 3-4 years. I believe all of the wireless devices in use is causing them to run out of phone numbers.

The alternative to the above was to split the the area code and assign a new area code to many subscribers - something that has been done a lot in the past 10-20 years in So Cal.

At one time, in California, our 714 area code covered more ground that some states, of course, a lot of the area was desert.

John - do you have to dial your area code to make a local call in the San Gabriel Valley?

 

[WideBrimm]

HUxley7-5301 was ours. We only had to dial the five numbers to make a call.

Five digit phone numbers. I remember them well. In Santa Fe, New Mexico in the early 1970s there were only two exchanges/prefixes so the phone system was set up for five digit dialing. All the numbers in town were 2-xxxx or 3-xxxx. Nothing like ten digit dialing we've got in Denver today.

 

[WideBrimm]

Passwords

These alphanumeric phone numbers of the Golden Era make the basis for great computer passwords today, especially since so few people seem to remember them! Use either the first two letters or the entire name of the exchange and go from there! Use the phone number, the name of the town, baby sisters name, whatever.

 

[chanteuseCarey]

Read through all the posts just to see if SOMEBODY wrote up this one! Love the Pennsylvania 6-5... 0- 0- 0 part...

Pennsylvania 6-5000 is on playing on m playlist right now.

 

[dahliaoleander]

Pennsylvania 6- ----?

My number starts out 222 what can I put as a Alphanumeric code?

 

[DannyBoy]

My number starts out 222 what can I put as a Alphanumeric code?

The recommended ones from the original site are:
ACademy
BAldwin
CApital
CAstle
http://ourwebhome.com/TENP/Recommended.html

or if you're number's old enough you can try and look up what the original exchange name for your area was:
http://rcrowe.brinkster.net/tensearch.aspx

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Read through all the posts just to see if SOMEBODY wrote up this one! Love the Pennsylvania 6-5... 0- 0- 0 part...

And if you dial 1 212 PEnnsylvania 6-5000 you'll hear the song.

 

[Jay]

And if you dial 1 212 PEnnsylvania 6-5000 you'll hear the song.

You weren't kidding!

 

[bd3]

old phone number

I was a child in the 70's - 80's. The community where I grew up was so small we only had to dial the last 4 digits of the exchange to make a call. I was married and had moved away before they went to needing to dial all 7 digits. I was visiting my parents and tried to call my grandmother.............for somereason the phone wouldn't connect when I'd dial the last 4 digits. If I recall correctly this was sometime in the early 90's as I married in 88.

 

[clevispin]

DC Taxi

Diamond Cab, Washington, DC: DUpont7-6200 (Dupont Circle). Still works.

 

[Mr_D.]

Vintage phone numbers

Edit: Didn't know there was already a thread for this.


My Number is

CYpress - 8
2120


And lets not forget the world famous,

UNion -7
5309