Talk:Area codes 201 and 551

Misinformation regarding rotary dialing
Hey folks! The stated rationale of assigning area codes based on population, so as to minimize total rotary dialing time is accurate AFAIK, but 201 is a substantially "longer" code than 212, the code for New York City. This is because on rotary phones, dialing a zero resulted in *ten* clicks. So, 201 is a 13-click number. 212 is actually the "shortest" possible area code, at five clicks. AlexCruise (talk) 00:21, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

The information was unsourced and just plain wrong. I have removed it. phreakydancin (talk) 22:15, 30 August 2012 (UTC)

Talk:Area code 201
Keep it! Useful info! Maybe some people wouldn't find such an article interesting, but I think the ever-increasing number of area codes is pretty cool.172.162.112.139 00:57, 8 Jul 2004 (UTC)

From VfD:

Barely a stub, and do we want an article about each of the hundreds of area codes? RickK 19:10, Jul 5, 2004 (UTC) Re-listed on vfd due to a deadlocked discussion Graham &#9786; | Talk 23:38, 13 Jul 2004 (UTC)


 * Sure, why not? Keep as stub. anthony (see warning)
 * Surely not. Dunc_Harris|&#9786; 19:28, 5 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Comment: Have a look at List of North American area codes. There appears to be an intention to create an article for every code, and several Wikipedians appear to support it. There are only a few as yet, but not all are quite this stublike, see North American area code 905, Area code 613 or Area code 716. Andrewa 20:56, 5 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * These articles have use value in tracking down the geographic location of incoming calls. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.16.200.123 (talk) 19:20, 11 December 2008 (UTC)


 * Keep, but relocate it and the others to North American area code xxx. –Hajor
 * I live in the 760 area code. It's a spinoff of both the 714 and 619 area codes and is the largest in California, stretching along the eastern half of the state from just above San Diego to well past the Sierra Nevadas.  Now...does anyone really care?  Besides Anthony, that is. :^)  Move to the list of area codes. - Lucky 6.9 21:17, 5 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Great idea, move it and wait in anticipation for a few created by myself! And then I'll create an article for all the exchanges in my area code and list every phone number in each exchange. That'd sort of be like my threatened Syracuse to Washington, DC flights article! No, but seriously, area codes is a good idea. Just move it to the normed format. newkai 22:18, 5 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep, though I also support the idea of moving to North American Area Code XXX -- Graham &#9786; | Talk 23:54, 5 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Agree with Graham, esp. since some area codes (e.g. 202, 212, etc.) are legitimately famous. [[User:Meelar|Meelar (talk)]] 23:58, 5 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete: not notable, subject to change. Only a few area codes are notable, we don't need articles for the rest. Wile E. Heresiarch 00:15, 6 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep, as this can be easily checked, and information in these is often hard to find in one unified source. Burgundavia 00:41, Jul 6, 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Trivia that is subject to change and is easily available in other places where it is professionally maintained.  (I personally downloaded a similar list as a Palm app.)  Content is adequately covered in the main article List of North American area codes. Rossami 04:03, 6 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Why do we need articles on area codes with no particular significance?  This seems to fall under my "that's why the rest of the internet exists" criterion.  We don't need to mirror every bit of information in existance, especially if it's easilly available elsewhere, which area codes are.  Isomorphic 07:04, 6 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete - Quickly before it spawns Area codes that begin with "2" - T&#949;x  &#964;  ur&#949;  17:24, 6 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Isn't List of North American area codes enough? Unless there's enough for any particular area code to require more than a one-sentence writeup, why have one for each code? This is better suited to a simple list than anything else, and we already have that. This is just useless WikiGlut. --Fastfission 22:24, 6 Jul 2004 (UTC) Okay, it's been rewritten, but I think maybe it should just be renamed "Area codes of the New Jersey area" or something like that, as it's about more than one, now. Or better yet, as an example in an Area codes article about how electronic communications have created new area code splits. So, I guess I change my vote to merge and move to a more appropriate article -- the article is not about "Area code 201," but that instead about how New Jersey has a billion area codes. --Fastfission 23:56, 8 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. WikiGlut indeed. JFW | T@lk  00:37, 7 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep. The article has been substantially fleshed out, and is interesting. I don't know if most US area codes have a history like this, but this one justifies an article.--gadfium 00:57, 8 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Merge with Jersey City and redirect. Things like that belong to a section within the main article for the geographical area. cesarb 23:31, 8 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep, reasons as for Graham. Aaron Hill 04:43, 10 Jul 2004 (UTC) (Vote moved here from vfd main space by Graham &#9786; | Talk)

Current tally at time of re-listing on Votes for deletion: 7 keep (under this or a different title), 7 delete, 4 merge (with a disagreement of where to merge to) -- Graham &#9786; | Talk 23:38, 13 Jul 2004 (UTC)


 * Keep. There are some area code stubs from New York that are a bit informative, if not short. I think they're quite valid and need to be represented. Mike H 23:59, Jul 13, 2004 (UTC)
 * US-POV-centric. Needs renaming to NANP Area Code 201 (North American Numbering Plan). Other than that, keep - David Gerard 00:03, 14 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep. Why not, it's interesting and would be hard to find elsewhere. -- orthogonal 02:42, 14 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep and rename North American area code 201. Spectatrix 04:32, 2004 Jul 14 (UTC)
 * I think the topic might be better served as part of an article on New Jersey area codes more generally. Everyking 07:15, 14 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep. It'll be a useful adjunct to the categories listing all articles in or related to a particular area code. Jamesday 09:20, 14 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep - --Buster 15:23, Jul 14, 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep & move into not US-centric name. Przepla 15:42, 14 Jul 2004 (UTC)

end moved discussion

Requested move

 * The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section. 

The result of the move request was page not moved. &mdash;harej (talk) (cool!) 04:55, 3 August 2009 (UTC)

Area codes 201 and 551 → North American telephone area codes 201 and 551 &mdash; (Also applies to all the other articles listed at List of North American Numbering Plan area codes.) Simply entitling these articles e.g. Area codes 201 and 551 instead of North American telephone area codes 201 and 551 represents a US-centric view, which should be avoided. 86.155.123.221 (talk) 11:28, 27 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Support. No objections. Aubergine (talk) 03:42, 28 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Oppose. Area code is a uniquely North American distinction, so saying North American area code is redundant. And adding telephone, well that is triply redundant. What other kind of area codes are there? 199.125.109.126 (talk) 19:10, 28 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Area codes uniquely North American? Surely you're joking.  They're commonplace throughout the world. For instance the area code for Beijing is 10, for London it's 020, and for Sydney it's  2. Aubergine (talk) 14:59, 29 July 2009 (UTC)
 * I notice that you conspicuously have not found another example of "area codes 201 and 551" anywhere. Or even either of them separately. As below, un-needed disambiguation. 199.125.109.126 (talk) 15:29, 29 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Well for a start there's Essen for 201 and Hefei for 551. I'm sure there are many more. Aubergine (talk) 16:22, 29 July 2009 (UTC)
 * And when they have Wikipedia articles that compete for primary usage, the move can be considered then. —   AjaxSmack   00:54, 30 July 2009 (UTC)
 * This isn't an argument about disambiguation, it's about accurate titling. North America does not have a monopoly on area codes, just as this isn't US-pedia. Aubergine (talk) 02:56, 30 July 2009 (UTC)
 * I am also not in favour of USA-centrism and am interested accurate titling. However, as far as I can tell the codes are not normally called "North American telephone area codes".  They are called simply "area codes".  And, since you agree that there's no disambiguation, then there's no need for an original research title.  —   AjaxSmack   21:53, 31 July 2009 (UTC)
 * It's hardly original research, even by the Wikipedia definition, and no more synthesized as a title than, say, United States men's national soccer team. Aubergine (talk) 02:47, 1 August 2009 (UTC)
 * If it's not original research, cite its usage. By the way, although it's an WP:OTHERCRAPEXISTS argument, the United States men's national soccer team's official homepage is titled "The Official Site of U.S. Soccer and the U.S. Men's and Women's National Teams (Home)".  Wikipedia's title barely diverges from that.  —   AjaxSmack   14:28, 1 August 2009 (UTC)


 * Oppose as unnecessary disambiguation. —   AjaxSmack   02:36, 29 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Only recently did the rest of the world start referring to there codes as "area codes". It's not our fault they can't use another phrase. North America originated the area code. --PhilthyBear (talk) 01:45, 31 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Do you have any evidence to back that up? I'd be very surprised.  You're stretching the definition of "recently" somewhat also; I certainly used the term in Europe more than 20 years ago, and it didn't seem like a new term then. I must get around to writing a page WP:INSULAR for everyone that hasn't travelled outside of North America... Aubergine (talk) 04:30, 31 July 2009 (UTC)
 * I sense some N.American envy... N.America invented the area code, period. --PhilthyBear (talk) 19:11, 31 July 2009 (UTC)
 * And I sense some N. American chauvinism. Stick to more appealing arguments — there're enough of them without resorting to this.  —   AjaxSmack   14:28, 1 August 2009 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

Globalize template
I removed the globalize template on the article. It was said that there are millions of people in China that use a 551 area code. However, a separate article should be written rather than changing this article to include information about the Chinese area code. They are separate things and the only common elements are that they are both area codes and they share the same number. As an example, when two or more cities share the same name, like Springfield, separate articles are written about each city, despite the fact that they share the same name. In addition, it is even more inconvenient to add information about the Chinese area code to this article because it covers the 201 area code, as well. It is unlikely that the Chinese have done the same area code split. If someone writes an article on the Chinese area code, then there should be a disambiguation page or at least a link to the Chinese article at the top of this article. -- Kjkolb (talk) 01:46, 11 September 2009 (UTC)

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Requested move 19 February 2023

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion. 

The result of the move request was: not moved. Favonian (talk) 22:32, 26 February 2023 (UTC)

Area codes 201 and 551 → United States area codes 201 and 551 – Area code redirects to a paragraph that talks about area codes all over the world. --Jax 0677 (talk) 22:47, 19 February 2023 (UTC) The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.
 * Oppose, this is consistent with all NANPA area code articles. See Category:Area codes in the United States. 162 etc. (talk) 00:25, 20 February 2023 (UTC)
 *  Reply - I am proposing changing all such articles to something similar. --Jax 0677 (talk) 00:29, 20 February 2023 (UTC)
 * That would be contrary to WP:PRECISION. 162 etc. (talk) 03:09, 20 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Oppose move for consistency with the others.  O.N.R.  (talk) 04:24, 20 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Oppose per WP:PRECISION. Until somebody, under WP:GNG, starts creating another series of articles on a different country's area codes, there currently is no need for such an additional natural disambiguation in the title. Zzyzx11 (talk) 18:09, 21 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Oppose: There are twenty-some countries that use the same area code system and renaming them all makes no sense since there is no need to disambiguate. The term area code had its original in the US, was coined there, and many countries, even English-speaking countries, call them something else, or something similar, such as prefix, Vorwahl,  national dialling code, STD code, etc. When we use the term in explanation of numbering plans, it is simply that it is the most commonly understood term, at least on the American continents, but probably anywhere. In many countries the area prefix has been almost entirely absorbed into the national number. Renaming the articles for overlay NPAs makes even less sense, since I would wage a bet that no one ever will need to disambiguate that for another country. kbrose (talk) 20:39, 21 February 2023 (UTC)