Area code 360
Area code 360 is the telephone area code for western Washington state outside of metropolitan Seattle. It began service on January 15, 1995. The area, which encompasses all of western Washington outside of urban King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties and Bainbridge Island, was previously part of area code 206. Area codes 360 and 334 (Alabama), which began service on the same day, were the first two area codes in the North American Numbering Plan with a middle digit other than 0 or 1.[1]
The area served currently consists of two disconnected sections. The larger, southern portion stretches from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Oregon border, while the northern portion stretches from the border with British Columbia, Canada almost to Everett. This unusual configuration came when residents of several Seattle exurbs complained about no longer being associated with 206. In response, US West put them back in 206, a move that hastened most of the suburban ring around Seattle being split off into area codes 253 and 425 two years later. It is one of the few non-contiguous areas in NANPA; others include 706 in Georgia and 423 in Tennessee. Each case results from a split that removed the middle from a formerly contiguous area.
Cities and towns in area code 360 include:
ᵃ Until 1988, Point Roberts was served by Canadian telephone company BC Tel, with Canadian area code 604; calls from elsewhere in the United States were billed at an International Direct Dial rate, even through the city is legally within the State of Washington and thus the United States. On January 1, 1988, Point Roberts was moved to Area Code 206 (subsequently split to 360) and such calls became domestic.
In 1999, the entire area 360 was to be overlain by 564, but the implementation has been delayed indefinitely by order of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, which currently forecasts that supply of 360 numbers will be exhausted in 2017.[2]
References
- ^ Van, Jon (April 25, 1994). "Area-code explosion rings up new cost". Chicago Tribune. p. B1.
- ^ [1]
External links
| Washington area codes: 206, 253, 360, 425, 509 | ||
|---|---|---|
| North: 236, 250, 604, 778 | ||
| West: Pacific Ocean, 236, 250, 778 | Area Code 360 | East: 206, 253, 425, 509 |
| South: 503, 971 | ||
| British Columbia area codes: 236, 250, 604, 778 | ||
| Oregon area codes: 458, 503, 541, 971 | ||
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