Old telephone prefixes

**Ray1936** · February-27-21, 06:45 PM

I can easily recall when our home phone number of DAvison 2539 was changed to accommodate the required seven-letter digits in the late 1940's. That number was changed to WEbster 4-2539 [[same last four digits, which helped all in the family to remember!) about 1949 or so.

There were no area codes back then. They came in the late fifties, about ten years later.

Can't recall, for the life of me, when Ma Bell and all her cousins did away with the prefixes. I think it was a slow turnover around 1970 or so if memory serves me correctly.

But in going through ancestry.com lately, I sure have come up with some old exchange names. HOgarth! WOodward! DRexel!! And good old GReenfield!

Today's seven and ten numbers [[eleven, if you have to punch "1" first!) sure take away from your imagination going to far-away places. You young'uns have missed it.

**Gistok** · February-27-21, 06:48 PM

TUxedo 1-3808 here while I was growing up... far east side near Balduck Park.

**jcole** · February-27-21, 07:24 PM

Lakeview7-5380, but not near any lake

**Hermod** · February-27-21, 07:29 PM

PRospect 3324 then LAkeview 7-3324. Before the change, my uncle's exchange was PIngree and my grandfather's was IVanhoe. When we moved to Rochester, it was OLive 6-0771.

**Honky Tonk** · February-27-21, 07:42 PM

VInewood was ours. And if I recall correctly, mid to late 60s is when they changed to all numbers and added the 3 digit prefix. But I might be wrong. After all, it was the 60s.

**softailrider** · February-27-21, 07:43 PM

UNIVERSITY 45917......growing up in Detroit [[Littlefield between Vassar and St Martins)

**Gistok** · February-27-21, 07:48 PM

The phone company lingo for Area Code is NPA [[Number Planning Area), and their name for the first 3 digits of your phone number is NXX [[Central Office Code).

**5939DT** · February-27-21, 08:14 PM

TOwnsend 5-3467 in Highland Park. Father had a home business that was TOwnsend 8-xxxx [[we had phones with the row of lit up buttons at the bottom).
Funny that "TO" was the same digits as "UN" [[86).
I remember phone numbers switching to all digits in the early 1960s.

**bust** · February-27-21, 08:26 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

TUxedo 1-3808 here while I was growing up... far east side near Balduck Park.

Same prefix for me in Grosse Pointe.
Although everyone used the numbers, only old folks knew the mnemonic anymore.
I always thought it was an embarrassing overdone caricature.
Pretty sure I was the first among my ancestry to wear one, for the ridiculous tradition of prom.

**Gistok** · February-27-21, 08:44 PM

^^ Yeah TUxedo was the central office [[located at Mack & Cadieux) for all the Pointes except the Park, and for most eastsiders between I-94 and Mack. There are even 3 streets in St. Clair Shores [[south of the Milk River) that have Tuxedo, most other SCS folks had the PRescott exchange, whose central office is on Gratiot, just north of 11 Mile.

I believe that GPP had a VAlley Exchange... the VAlley Central office is located on St. Jean north of Jefferson in Detroit.

I used to work for Michigan Bell, and remember that the VAlley and TUxedo central offices were the first ones that were computerized.

**Hermod** · February-27-21, 09:22 PM

OK, time for an ethnic joke. Stash from Buffalo travelled to Hamtramack for a large Polish festival. He met the most beautiful and attractive girl there and they danced many dances and ate dinner together. Stash told her that he had to return to Buffalo in the morning, but would love to have her phone number so they could stay in touch. The young lovely said of course and Stash got out a matchbook and pencil. He said he was ready and she said CApitol 5-3682. Stash puzzled for a moment and asked "How do you make a capital five?"

**SFDS** · February-27-21, 09:46 PM

Un-2-0815

**Scottathew** · February-27-21, 11:01 PM

It's crazy to think how far things have come.

I'm in my late 30's, but I grew up in Oakland county with a 313 area code. Then we went to 810. Then we went to 248.

My mother just recently helped a friend get a cell phone and he got a new number in the 947 area code. I had to explain to her it was an area code overlay for 248.

**Gistok** · February-27-21, 11:05 PM

Originally Posted by Scottathew

It's crazy to think how far things have come.

I'm in my late 30's, but I grew up in Oakland county with a 313 area code. Then we went to 810. Then we went to 248.

My mother just recently helped a friend get a cell phone and he got a new number in the 947 area code. I had to explain to her it was an area code overlay for 248.

So because 248/947 are Oakland County overlay area codes, do you always have to call the 1+Area Code+7 digits... even if the number you are dialing is the same area code that you are calling from ??

Here in Macomb County we only ever have to dial 7 numbers if it's within the 586 Area Code.

**Brock7** · February-28-21, 12:59 AM

VEnice9 in NorthEast Detroit/Harper Woods area like LAkeview7. I remember that a girl in my kindergarten class at Burbank school had a WOodward number.

**wilderness** · February-28-21, 12:59 AM

TAsmo [[sp?) and DIamond.
DUunkirk [[Lincoln Park).

**Scottathew** · February-28-21, 08:10 AM

Originally Posted by Gistok

So because 248/947 are Oakland County overlay area codes, do you always have to call the 1+Area Code+7 digits... even if the number you are dialing is the same area code that you are calling from ??

Here in Macomb County we only ever have to dial 7 numbers if it's within the 586 Area Code.

Yes, we do. It's been that way for a while.

313 has an overlay reserved. 679 may be used as an overlay in the future.

**Henry Whalley** · February-28-21, 08:16 AM

TWinbrook was northeast around Pershing high school over to Van Dyke and Seven Mile.

**Maof** · February-28-21, 08:46 AM

TU-*****. Won't give the number out as it's still in use. My parents had the number from 1950 until 2002 when mom died and it was passed on to another household. Mack and Alter area then on to Harper Woods.

**CassTechGrad** · February-28-21, 09:29 AM

Beachwood-45789 or pick up the phone and dial 634-5789.

**Margarite** · February-28-21, 09:50 AM

Temple 14907 - Detroit/Mack and St. Aubin area. It's amazing that I can't remember why I went to the kitchen but I can remember my phone number from 70+ years ago.

**Dumpling** · February-28-21, 09:54 AM

I grew up in Royal Oak with 313-LIncoln*-**** [[still in use
though with the 248 area code now). There's a Lincoln Street
in downtown Royal Oak which is probably the namesake.