Sure, phones existed before 1947, but the standard way that people would be connected was by utilizing a swichboard operator. You might not be surprised to learn that telephones needed operators to physically patch one telephone to another, but you probably will be surprised to learn that the last switchboard operator didn’t find unemployment until 1982! So even while you could reach Las Vegas at the 702 area code, some areas of the country were obviously still left behind and required automated switchers.
So what else do we know about the 702 area code for when you want to have the Las Vegas 3-digit identifier end up on people’s caller ID? Let’s take a look.
702 Was Once For All Of Nevada
Did you know that the entirety of Nevada used to be just one area code? That’s right, the 702 area code used to encompass the entire state of Nevada. Of course, with only 86 North American Numbering Plan area codes established by AT&T back in 1947, it’s no surprise that such a low-population state such as Nevada would only need one. Only the largest cities, such as New York City, were able to claim their own codes at the time. Even Los Angeles had to share its code with the rest of southern California.
It Split Off With 775
As Las Vegas, Reno, and Carson City continued to grow, the need for a different area code became apparent. With the number of available phone numbers running out, it was decided that the Las Vegas metro area remain 702 and the rest of the state become 775. This occurred on December 12, 1998. Las Vegas was allowed to keep the 702 area code because of the high population density, as well as the fact that it had the highest-commerce clients.
Of course it wasn’t just the growth of the state that caused the need for the split. Beepers in the early half of the 1990s required people to have two separate phone numbers, and then the explosion of cell phones caused even more people to have two numbers. 1998 was the perfect time to split Las Vegas from the rest of the state.
It’s Overlaid With 725
In 2014, Las Vegas went to an overlay plan and added 725 to the city. This means that Las Vegas has 10-digit calling, so even within the city you’ll need to use either the 702 or 725 area code to call a local number. An overlay is used to prevent businesses from receiving a psychological disadvantage from customers who might see them as being either a) novices or b) from the wrong part of town. Because the 702 area code is the original and was closely associated with Las Vegas, there is still some cache attached to 702, making it more desirable for people like you.
If you’re interested in getting your calls to come from Las Vegas, we’ve got them for you. Contact us today and we can get you a great Las Vegas phone number.
