A Question about the old former telephone exchanges as Texas [TE] or Webster [WE] .

[highjinx2]

Prior to the mid 60's, telephone numbers would begin with a prefix initials such as We [Webster] then 5 number digits.
I understand the prefix made it easier to recall the number from memory [and made the commercial jingles a bit more brighter].
What my question is, how did the determine, or did they, what areas would get what exchanges.
Was the WE exchange exclusive to the west side of Detroit where I lived, and lets say VE exclusive to the east side?
How did the whole letter prefix exchange thing work in Detroit?
Thanks for any reply.

ps: I know the letter exchange thing was across the country.

[gnome]

Try the forum's search feature. There are at least a half dozen threads on the subject. Here is one:
http://www.detroityes.com/mb/archive...hp/t-3235.html

[MikeM]

Or this one;

http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/6790/63149.html

[professorscott]

Prior to the mid 60's, telephone numbers would begin with a prefix initials such as We [Webster] then 5 number digits.
I understand the prefix made it easier to recall the number from memory [and made the commercial jingles a bit more brighter].
What my question is, how did the determine, or did they, what areas would get what exchanges.
Was the WE exchange exclusive to the west side of Detroit where I lived, and lets say VE exclusive to the east side?
How did the whole letter prefix exchange thing work in Detroit?
Thanks for any reply.

ps: I know the letter exchange thing was across the country.

The assigning of exchanges was done by Bell Telephone as direct dialing was implemented. Within each area code, a particular exchange had to be unique. So for example, in Detroit, the WOodward 5 exchange was used in downtown Detroit and nowhere else; UNiversity 2 was northwest Detroit and nowhere else, and so on.

Within any area code, the exchanges were assigned somewhat randomly, but the important city centers got the low-dial-cost exchanges like 223 and 322. These were the most-dialed numbers, and the cheapest for Bell to handle since each dial pulse cost a tiny bit of money.

For the same reason, important urban centers got the low-dial-cost area codes [[212, 312, 313) and the boonies got the bad ones [[705, 808). In the very early days a zero in the middle of the area code meant your state only had a single area code; a one meant your state had more than one area code.

All of this started to go away when various areas began to run out of phone numbers and the Bells had to assign new area codes, and start using exchanges with 0 and 1 in the middle which precluded the use of letter exchange codes.

[MikeM]

What my question is, how did the determine, or did they, what areas would get what exchanges.

As the population grew and the existing blocks of phone numbers ran low, the phone company would expand the local office switchboard or switching machine. The expansion would be given a new name, usually a generic one from a list maintained by the company, but occasionally a geographically-related name. The name had to be distinct from any other in the area. Read the article at the very bottom of the link I posted earlier.

Was the WE exchange exclusive to the west side of Detroit where I lived, and lets say VE exclusive to the east side?

Yes to both. WEbster was located in the Hogarth office, located at Plymouth and Northlawn. It became operational in 1947. VEnice was located in the Pingree office, near Gratiot & McNichols, also opened in 1947.

How did the whole letter prefix exchange thing work in Detroit?

Read that link I posted and ask if you have more questions.