Editing Area codes 716 and 624

{{Short description|Telephone area code for western New York state}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}
{{use mdy dates|date=September 2013}}
[[File:New York State and surrounding areas Area codes Jan 2024.png|thumb|Area codes in [[New York (state)|New York state]] with the area codes 716 and 624 highlighted in red]]
'''Area codes 716 and 624''' are telephone [[area code]]s in the [[North American Numbering Plan]] (NANP) for [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]],  [[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]], and four surrounding counties in [[western New York]]. 716 was one of the [[original North American area codes]] established in 1947, while 624 was assigned to the identical numbering plan area (NPA) in 2023.

==History==
When the [[American Telephone and Telegraph Company]] (AT&T) devised the first nationwide [[telephone numbering plan]] for [[Operator Toll Dialing]] in the 1940s, New York state was initially divided into five numbering plan areas, the most of any state, assigning a distinct area code to each. In 1947, area code 716 was assigned to an area with a significant portion of [[Central New York]], as far east as [[Corning, New York|Corning]].

In 1954, the numbering plan area was reduced in size by merging its eastern portion with the southern portion of [[area code 315|NPA 315]], to create [[area code 607]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.areacodehelp.com/acus/new_york_area_codes.shtml
|title=New York Area Codes
|website=www.areacodehelp.com
|access-date=2018-04-16}}</ref>

In 2001, the new [[area code 585]] was created for Rochester and its suburbs. Until 1993, it was bounded at the [[Niagara River]] by [[area code 416]] (now [[area codes 905, 289 and 365|905]]) in [[Ontario]].

Prior to October 2021, area code 716 had telephone numbers assigned for the [[central office code]] 988. In 2020, ''988'' had been designated nationwide as a dialing code for the [[National Suicide Prevention Lifeline]], which created a conflict for exchanges that permit [[seven-digit dialing]]. This area code was therefore scheduled to transition to [[ten-digit dialing]] by October 24, 2021.<ref name="pl556">{{cite web
|url=https://nationalnanpa.com/pdf/PL_556.pdf
|title=Transition to 10-digit dialing (for 988 as 3-digit access to National Suicide Prevention Hotline)
|publisher=North American Numbering Plan Administrator
|date=2021-01-08
|access-date=2021-03-09}}</ref>

A 2022 analysis by the NANP Administrator determined that area code 716 will exhaust its central office prefixes in 2024.<ref name="exhaust">{{cite web|url=https://nationalnanpa.com/reports/2022-1_NPA%20Exhaust_Projections.pdf|date=April 21, 2022|publisher=North American Numbering Plan Administrator |title=2022-1 NRUF and NPA Exhaust Analysis|access-date=April 24, 2022}}</ref> As a result, [[New York Public Service Commission]] approved area code 624, and was assigned to form an all-service [[overlay complex]] in the 716 area, with an in-service date of November 16, 2023.<ref name="npa624overlay">{{cite web
|url=https://www.wivb.com/news/localnews/buffalo/new-buffalo-wny-area-code-624-716/
|title=716, meet your new area code: 624
|publisher=Nexstar Media
|date=2022-10-19
|access-date=2022-10-19
}}</ref><ref name="npa624overlay2">{{cite web
|url=https://www.rochesterfirst.com/news/new-624-area-code-set-to-start-next-week-in-wny/
|title=New "624" area code set to start next week in WNY
|publisher=Nexstar Media
|date=2023-09-05
|access-date=2023-09-08
}}</ref>

==Service area==
The numbering plan area comprises the following counties:
* [[Erie County, New York|Erie County]] (includes city of [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]] and surrounding suburbs)
* [[Cattaraugus County, New York|Cattaraugus County]] (includes city of [[Olean, New York|Olean]])
* [[Chautauqua County, New York|Chautauqua County]] (includes cities of [[Jamestown, New York|Jamestown]] and [[Dunkirk, New York|Dunkirk]])
* [[Niagara County, New York|Niagara County]] (includes [[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] and [[Lockport (city), New York|Lockport]])

Because of Olean's proximity to the 716/585 line, some Olean exchanges use [[area code 585]], particularly those in use for [[Sprint Corporation]] cell phones.

==See also==
* [[List of New York area codes]]
* [[List of North American Numbering Plan area codes]]
{{clear}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Area code footer|Map=NY}}

{{Area code box|State=NY
|This=716/624
| N=[[area code 289|289]]/[[area code 365|365]]/[[area code 905|905]], [[Lake Ontario]]
| S=[[Area codes 814 and 582|814/582]]
| E=[[area code 585|585]]
| W=[[area code 289|289]]/[[area code 365|365]]/[[area code 905|905]], [[Lake Erie]]
| S1=ON
| S2=PA}}

{{coord|42|40|41|N|78|33|7|W|display=title}}

[[Category:Area codes in New York (state)|716]]
[[Category:Area codes in the United States|716]]
[[Category:Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 1947]]
[[Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 1923]]