Area code 612 is the telephone numbering plan code for the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota and a few surrounding areas such as Fort Snelling and Richfield, Minnesota, curently the smallest area code in the state by land area. However, the region used to be much larger, accounting for the entire Twin Cities region and a wide swath surrounding it. Reportedly, the 612 area code had at one time been the largest toll-free calling area in the United States. It is unclear if free calls are still possible across the entire former region (calls within 612 are free). This article or section should be merged with Area code -- ran (talk) 21:24, Jan 30, 2005 (UTC) A Telephone numbering plan allows subscribers to make and receive telephone calls, taking different formats in different parts of the world, although the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has attempted to promote common... This article is about the city in Minnesota. ... Fort Snelling is a former military fortification located at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers in Hennepin County, Minnesota. ... Richfield is a city located in Hennepin County, Minnesota. ... This article is about the Minneapolis-St. ... A toll-free telephone number (or Freephone number in the UK) is a special telephone number, in which the calling party is not charged for the call by the telephone operator. ... The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ...

A map of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) in 1947 showed the region defined as roughly 1/3rd of the area of Minnesota, with the separating line extending westward from Duluth, Minnesota to the center of the state, then down through the center. The rest of the state consisted of area code 218, which formed an "r"-shaped region around the 612 area code. The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) is a system for three-digit area codes that direct telephone calls to particular regions on a public switched telephone network (PSTN), where they are further routed by the local network. ... 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... State nickname: North Star State Other U.S. States Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Governor Tim Pawlenty Official languages None Area 225,365 km² (12th)  - Land 206,375 km²  - Water 18,990 km² (8. ... Duluth is a town in and the county seat of St. ... Area code 218 - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ...

In 1954, the state was divided into three area codes. The 612 area code was rotated to reach out to the western edge of the state. It still included the Twin Cities, but no longer extended far to the north. The 218 region was made more square, covering roughly the top half of the state. The new area code 507 stretched across the southern 1/5th of the state, including cities such as Rochester and Mankato. Through the 1990s, those areas were modified slightly, but most of the changes have focused on subdividing the former 612 area code. 1954 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Area code 507 - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Rochester is a city located in Olmsted County, Minnesota. ... Mankato is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. ... Events and trends Technology Explosive growth of the Internet; decrease in the cost of computers and other technology Reduction in size and cost of mobile phones leads to a massive surge in their popularity Year 2000 problem (commonly known as Y2K) Microsoft Windows operating system becomes virtually ubiquitous on IBM...

In 1996, the region was broken into two parts. Area code 320 took up all of the former 612 area outside of the Twin Cities, while 612 shrank. The 612 region was roughly split in half two years later in 1998, with Minneapolis and western suburbs retaining the old code and neighboring St. Paul and suburbs to the east gaining the new area code 651. The most recent split occurred in 2000, when the 612 code shrank to its current size, area code 763 was created to include the northwest suburbs, and area code 952 began to be used for southwest suburbs. 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Area code 320 - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... State capitol building in Saint Paul Saint Paul is the capital and second-largest city of the state of Minnesota in the United States of America. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities is a notable exception to the regional numbering plan. Because of an integrated phone system between the main Minneapolis campus and the one to the east in the St. Paul suburb of Falcon Heights, students and staff on that campus use the 612 area code. The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system. ... Falcon Heights is a city located in Ramsey County, Minnesota. ...

External links

• NANPA: Minnesota area code map (http://www.nanpa.com/area_code_maps/display.html?mn)

References

• Area code history. (http://www.areacode-info.com/!history/default.htm) AreaCode-Info.com.
• (2001). 1947 Area Code Assignment Map. (http://www.areacode-info.com/!maps/images/NANP1947.gif) GIF image at AreaCode-Info.com.

See also

• List of North American area codes

This is a list of North American area codes. ...