Ever wonder why Chicago is 312, New York is 212 and Los Angeles is 213? It’s because area codes were assigned based on how long it took to dial on a rotary phone. The lower the number, the fewer clicks needed, the faster the dial. Cities like New York, Chicago and L.A. had the highest call volume, so they got first dibs on the premiere digits.
I Learned This From: Episode 3 of How States Got Their Shapes
Steph Yiu 