Area Code 417
History
When the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) created a universal North American telephone numbering plan for Operator Toll Dialing in 1947, Missouri was divided into two numbering plan areas (NPAs). Area code 816 served points generally north and west of Columbia and Jefferson City, while area code 314 served the eastern third of the state, including St. Louis. In 1951, area code 417 was created as the third code in the state, for southwestern Missouri, comprising the southern half of the original 816 boundaries.
Despite the presence of Springfield, the state's third-largest city, 417 is one of the most sparsely populated numbering plan areas in the nation. Despite the growing proliferation of cell phones and smartphones (particularly in and around Springfield), under current projections southwest Missouri will not need another area code until about 2030.
Prior to October 2021, area code 417 had telephone numbers assigned for the central office code 988. In 2020, 988 was designated nationwide as a dialing code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which created a conflict for exchanges that permit seven-digit dialing. This area code was therefore scheduled to transition to ten-digit dialing by October 24, 2021.
References
- ^ "417 Area Code Location, Time Zone, Zip Code: 417 Local Number". May 19, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ "NPA Exhaustion Projections" (PDF), North American Numbering Plan Administration, 2021.
- ^ "Transition to 10-digit dialing (for 988 as 3-digit access to National Suicide Prevention Hotline)" (PDF). North American Numbering Plan Administrator. January 8, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
External links
North: 660, 573/235 | ||
West: 620, 918/539 | area code 417 | East: 573/235 |
South: 479, 870/327 | ||
Kansas area codes: 316, 620, 785, 913 | ||
Oklahoma area codes: 405/572, 580, 918/539 | ||
Arkansas area codes: 479, 501, 870/327 |