Area code 620

Area Code 620 is the area code for telephone exchanges in most of southern Kansas, with the exception of the city of Wichita and the surrounding area. The area code stretches from the Colorado state line on the west to the Missouri state line on the east.

The largest cities covered by the area code are Dodge City, Garden City and Hutchinson.

History of area codes in Kansas

Despite a relatively small population, Kansas was scheduled to receive two area codes under the original North American Numbering Plan proposal from the Bell Telephone Company in 1946. Originally, area codes would follow sequentially based on geography, and under the 1946 plan, Kansas would receive area codes 617 and 618. [http://www.areacode-info.com/!history/1946.htm (1)]

In October 1947, the final plan was adopted, and Kansas still had its two area codes, although the numbers had been radically altered from the original plan. The southern half of the state (Dodge City, Emporia, Garden City, Wichita) would receive 316, while the northern half (Kansas City, Topeka, Lawrence, Salina, Hays) would receive 913. All long-distance calls using area codes would not be implemented until late in 1951.

Kansas goes from two area codes to four

The two area codes of Kansas remained constant for more than 40 years, but by the mid-1990s, the proliferation of cell phones, the population explosion in the Kansas City metropolitan area (most notably Johnson County), and deregulation due to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the exchanges for area code 913 were quickly being exhausted.

Late in 1996, the Kansas Corporation Commission, which oversees telecommunications in the state, requested relief from the NANPA for the exchanges of area code 913, and on February 12, 1997, the NANPA responded by splitting off most of northern Kansas from area code 913 into the new 785 area code. From July 20, 1997 through October 2, 1998, a period of permissive dialing was in use, allowing customers affected by the new area code to use either 913 or 785 when dialing long-distance. At 12:01 a.m. on October 3, 1998, the 785 area code became mandatory in the new calling area.

The southern half of the state would soon follow. With a similar proliferation of cell phones, especially in and around Wichita, the KCC requested relief for area code 316. On September 21, 2000, the NANPA announced relief by splitting off most of southern Kansas and giving it the new 620 area code. A period of permissive dialing was initiated on February 3, 2001, where numbers in the affected area could be dialed using 316 or 620. The use of 620 became mandatory on November 3, 2001.

Major cities in area code 620

* Dodge City
* Emporia
* Garden City
* Great Bend
* Hutchinson
* Liberal
* McPherson
* Pittsburg

Boundaries of area code 620

The boundary between area codes 620 and 785 runs from west to east roughly following a path along K-4 and K-96. The code boundary dips along I-135 in McPherson County and continues east to just north of Emporia in Lyon County along the Kansas Turnpike, where the boundaries of area codes 620, 785 and 913 meet. Area code 620 then shares its northern boundary with that of area code 913 to the Missouri state line.

All of Sedgwick County, along with parts of Butler and Harvey counties remain in area code 316.

ee also

External links

* [http://www.areacode-info.com/!history/default.htm Area Code History]
* [http://www.areacode-info.com/!maps/images/NANP1947.gif1947 Area Code Assignment Plan]
* [http://www.areacode-info.com/relief/ac620.htm List of exchanges split off from Area Code 316 to Area Code 620]

Area Code Box 3|State=KS
This= area code 620 completely surrounds 316| N= 785, 913
S= 580, 918
E= 417
W= 719
S1=CO
S2=MO
S3=OK