201 is the
North AmericanNorth American generally refers to an entity, people, group, or attribute of North America, especially of the United States and Canada together.-Culture:*North American English, a collective term used to describe American English and Canadian English...
telephoneThe telephone is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sound, most commonly the human voice. It is one of the most common household appliances in the developed world, and has long been considered indispensable to business, industry and government...
area codeA telephone numbering plan is a system of allocating and routing telephone numbers in a telephone network. A closed numbering plan, such as found in North America, features fixed length area codes and local numbers. An open numbering plan features variance in length of area code or local number, or...
for the
stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
New JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, and to the east by the Hudson River, Upper New York Bay, the Kill Van Kull, Newark Bay, the Arthur Kill, Raritan Bay, Sandy Hook Bay, Westchester County, New York City, Long Island, and...
covering most of
HudsonHudson County is in New Jersey, United States. Its county seat is Jersey City.-Geography and topography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 62 square miles , of which, 47 square miles is land and 16 square miles is water...
and
BergenBergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 884,118, growing to 904,037 as of the Census Bureau's 2006 estimate. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
counties, as well as parts of
EssexEssex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the population was 793,633, ranking it second in the state after Bergen County; Essex County's population had declined to 786,147 as of the bureau's 2006 population...
and
PassaicPassaic County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 489,049. Its county seat is Paterson. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area....
. It is
overlaidIn telephony, especially in North America, an overlay plan is the practice of introducing a new area code by applying it onto a geographic area that is already occupied by one or more existing area codes, resulting in two area codes serving the same area.- Methodology :Prior to the introduction of...
with
area code 551.
The 201 area code was the first area code to be assigned in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, as part of the
North American Numbering PlanThe North American Numbering Plan is an integrated telephone numbering plan of 24 countries and territories: the United States and its territories, Canada, Bermuda, and 16 of the Caribbean countries...
. While it was part of the original set of area codes assigned to the U.S. in 1947, this area code was not placed into service until 1951. In that year, the first
direct-dialed long distance callDirect Distance Dialing or direct dial is a telecommunications term for a network-provided service feature in which a call originator may, without operator assistance, call any other user outside the local calling area. DDD requires more digits in the number dialed than are required for calling...
was made from
Englewood, New JerseyEnglewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 26,203.Englewood was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of Englewood...
to
Alameda, CaliforniaAlameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on a small island of the same name next to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. An additional part of the city is Bay Farm Island, which is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. The city has a small town feeling...
. Until 1958, it was the only area code serving New Jersey; that year, the state split the area code, with the southern portion of the state becoming
area code 609Area code 609 in New Jersey is the telephone code for the central and southeastern regions of the state and includes the state capital of Trenton, Princeton, and Atlantic City....
.
After the split in 1958, area code 201 served the northern counties in the state:
EssexEssex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the population was 793,633, ranking it second in the state after Bergen County; Essex County's population had declined to 786,147 as of the bureau's 2006 population...
,
BergenBergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 884,118, growing to 904,037 as of the Census Bureau's 2006 estimate. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
,
HudsonHudson County is in New Jersey, United States. Its county seat is Jersey City.-Geography and topography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 62 square miles , of which, 47 square miles is land and 16 square miles is water...
,
UnionUnion County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 522,541. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Elizabeth. Union County ranks 92nd among the highest-income counties in the United States. It also ranks 74th in...
,
MorrisMorris County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about 25 mi west of New York City. As of the United States 2000 Census, the population was 470,212, and grew to 493,160 as of the Census Bureau's 2006 estimate.. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area...
,
PassaicPassaic County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 489,049. Its county seat is Paterson. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area....
,
SomersetSomerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of 2000, the population was 297,490. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....
,
MiddlesexMiddlesex County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the population was 750,162. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area and its county seat is New Brunswick. The center of population for New Jersey is located in Middlesex County, in the...
,
MonmouthMonmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 615,301, which had grown to 642,030 as of the Bureau's 2007 estimate. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is...
,
SussexThe County of Sussex is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2000 Federal decennial census, 144,166 persons resided in Sussex County of which nearly 95% were white...
and
WarrenWarren County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 102,437. Its county seat is Belvidere....
counties. New Jersey's southern counties, including the southern
Jersey ShoreThe Jersey Shore is a term used in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States to refer to both the Atlantic coast of New Jersey and the adjacent resort and residential communities...
, as well as the
PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the sixth-most-populous city in the United States.In 2008, the population of the city proper was estimated to be over 1.4 million, while the metropolitan area's population of 5.8 million made it the country's fifth-largest...
and
Wilmington, DelawareWilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
suburbs (in New Jersey) were served by 609.
As the central region of New Jersey grew during the 1980s, the northeastern section of the state lost sizeable chunks of its population due to the decline of its major cities, including
NewarkBrick City redirects here. For the township in Ocean County, see Brick Township, New Jersey.Newark is the largest city in New Jersey, and the county seat of Essex County. Newark has a population of 281,402, making it the largest municipality in New Jersey and the 65th largest city in the U.S...
,
PatersonPaterson is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city population was 149,222. Census population projections indicate a population of 146,545 as of 2007, making it New Jersey's third largest city. It is the county seat of Passaic County...
,
CliftonClifton is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 78,672....
, and
ElizabethElizabeth is a city in Union County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 120,568, making it New Jersey's fourth largest city . The population of Elizabeth was 126,179 as of the Census Bureau's 2006 estimate...
. On June 8, 1991,
area code 908Area code 908 is an area code in northern New Jersey. The area code covers the North/Central portions of the state. It includes communities in Union County , Somerset County , Middlesex County , Hunterdon...
split off from 201; it primarily serves the North/Central regions of the state.
The northernmost counties continued to use 201, while the southern half of the state kept 609, which is the area code of
TrentonTrenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of 2007, the United States Census Bureau estimated that the City of Trenton had a population of 82,804....
, the state's capital.
During the mid-1990s, businesses began to flourish once again in
North JerseyNorth Jersey is a name for the northern part of the U.S. State of New Jersey. Located between two major cities: New York City and Philadelphia, this relationship led Benjamin Franklin to describe the state as "a barrel tapped at both ends."...
, while cell phones and
internetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standardized Internet Protocol Suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
dial-up connections proliferated. In response to the pressure for the addition of more telephone numbers, New Jersey added more area codes, going from three to six. As of June 1, 1997, Essex and Passaic counties, home to
NewarkBrick City redirects here. For the township in Ocean County, see Brick Township, New Jersey.Newark is the largest city in New Jersey, and the county seat of Essex County. Newark has a population of 281,402, making it the largest municipality in New Jersey and the 65th largest city in the U.S...
and
PatersonPaterson is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city population was 149,222. Census population projections indicate a population of 146,545 as of 2007, making it New Jersey's third largest city. It is the county seat of Passaic County...
respectively (the state's first and third-most populous cities), as well as the more rural northwestern counties of New Jersey, Morris and Sussex, were broken away from area code 201, forming the new area code,
973Area code 973 is a North American Numbering Plan area code for Northern New Jersey that covers portions of Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex and Union Counties. It was formed as of June 1, 1997 when Area code 201 was split...
. Hudson County and Bergen County, the state's two northeastern counties (as well as being two of the state's most densely populated counties) and the closest two counties to
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
, became the last remaining counties in the state to be served by area code 201.
As Hudson and Bergen Counties developed further, and even more telephone numbers were demanded, it was debated whether 201 should split again, or if an overlay area code should be added instead. The latter option was chosen, to avoid the costs and frustration associated with splitting an area code. However, with the implementation of the overlay area code on December 1, 2001,
10-digit dialingIn the United States and Canada, 10-digit dialing is a popular term used to refer to the practice of including the area code of a phone number when dialing...
became mandatory. Area code 551 was created in 2001, along with area codes
862Area code 862 is a North American Numbering Plan area code for Northern New Jersey that covers portions of the Counties of Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic and Sussex...
and 848 which overlay area codes
973Area code 973 is a North American Numbering Plan area code for Northern New Jersey that covers portions of Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex and Union Counties. It was formed as of June 1, 1997 when Area code 201 was split...
and
732Area code 732 was created on June 1, 1997, as the result of a split in New Jersey area code 908, and became mandatory on December 6th of that year. The area code mostly covers the Jersey Shore region of New Jersey, with a small area of North/Central Jersey covered...
respectively.
See also
- List of NANP area codes
- North American Numbering Plan
The North American Numbering Plan is an integrated telephone numbering plan of 24 countries and territories: the United States and its territories, Canada, Bermuda, and 16 of the Caribbean countries...
- Original area codes
External links