I grew up in the northern end of the 707, as we say now, which made it remarkable when Mrs. Brad and I moved to Fairfield and were still in the area code of our births. We were 707 for life!
However, we were aware of the other area codes (especially during my sports editor days, when I made and received calls daily from coaches): 916 was for Sacramento to the Oregon border, 415 was around San Francisco, but encompassed most of the Peninsula and East Bay Area; 408 was around San Jose; 209 was Stockton and south around I-5 and Highway 99.
That was it. That's all we'd ever need. Your area code mattered.
It was a simpler time, when we had three TV networks (before Fox arrived) and two colors of clothes (black or white).
We also had other oversimplifications to explain our childhood to people born decades after us: Life was simpler. We were happier. Our mothers were depressed and our fathers drank a lot, ignored us and often had affairs (Wait. That didn't happen to everyone?). But dang it, the world was better! There were only five area codes in Northern California!
It turns out area codes were relatively new when many thought they were permanent. Area codes began in 1947, which is a long time ago now, but wasn't that long ago in the 1960s. California originally had three area codes–213 for Southern California, 415 for Central California (which included the Bay Area) and 916 for Northern California (including my hometown of Eureka). In fact, the entire nation had 76 area codes, covering all 50 states (well, 48 states in 1947. Alaska and Hawaii were standing in the lobby, so they didn't get area codes).
The 707 was created in 1959 to commemorate the death of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper (Editor's note: That is not confirmed. In fact, it's wrong) and things stayed the same for decades and decades.
The Big Five area codes remained in place until the 1980s and the arrival of more phones, fax machines and girls whose hair was really tall in front (perhaps not related to phones). The volume of phone numbers grew quickly and new area codes came. The East Bay spun off the 510 area code in 1991. Six years later, the Peninsula became 650 and the northern part of 916 became 530. The next year, the 925 area code split from the seven-year-old 510. In the past decade or so, it's grown on steroids: a bunch of new area codes were "overlaid" to existing area codes. You may not realize this, but Northern California now has area codes 279, 341, 350, 369, 628, 669 and 837.
But . . . my hometown (Eureka) and Fairfield-Suisun are the OGs. They remain 707. An area code, a famous airplane, a lifestyle.
Who knows what will happen next? Will we continue to split area codes or will technology make it needless (mobile phones exploded but fax machines went away, partly offsetting the increase, I presume).
Sometimes I look back at the good old days when there were just a few area codes. When all we had to do was dial 11 numbers (one, plus the area code, plus the number) to make a long-distance call, which was expensive. Dialing such a number incorrectly resulted in a charge on the phone bill. Back then, your parents urged you to talk quickly to grandma because it was a long-distance call (made on a Sunday night, when rates were allegedly cheaper)!
I think back to when we had stickers on the phone with the number of the fire department, since there was no 9-1-1 system. When life was . . .
Wait a second! That doesn't sound simpler, that sounds harder. Our phones were attached to our kitchen walls, long-distance calls cost a lot of money, you had to dial numbers, there were no answering machines and there was no 9-1-1 service.
Let me change my story. Back when I was a kid, life was so much harder. We had to dial numbers, our moms were depressed and there were just five area codes in Northern California . . .
Reach Brad Stanhope at bradstanhope@outlook.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment