Area Code 816 is an area code in the state of Missouri that covers the Kansas City Metropolitan Area and the city of St. Joseph to the north. The area code used to cover most of northwestern Missouri to the state's borders with Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska, but currently, the area code only shares a border with Kansas to the west and is surrounded on the other three sides by area code 660, the area code that was created by shearing off most of the former territory covered by 816. A telephone numbering plan is a system that allows subscribers to make and receive telephone calls across long distances. ... Official language(s) None Capital Jefferson City Largest city Kansas City Largest metro area St. ... The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is a metropolitan area situated at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers and straddling the state border between Missouri and Kansas. ... Saint Joseph (also known as St. ... Official language(s) English Capital Des Moines Largest city Des Moines Area  Ranked 26th  - Total 56,272 sq mi (145,743 km²)  - Width 199 miles (320 km)  - Length 310 miles (500 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Topeka Largest city Wichita Area  Ranked 15th  - Total 82,277 sq. ... Official language(s) English Capital Lincoln Largest city Omaha Area  Ranked 16th  - Total 77,421 sq mi (200,520 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 0. ... Area code 660 is the new telephone numbering plan code for Northern and Western Missouri in the North American Numbering Plan. ...

History of area codes in Missouri

When the North American Numbering Plan Administration came out with its first map of area codes in 1947, Missouri was assigned just two area codes, with 816 covering the western half of the state and area code 314 covering the eastern half. However, before the implementation of area codes was made final in late 1951, the original two-code plan for Missouri was changed to three codes, as area code 417 was carved out for the southwestern portion of the state, including the cities of Branson, Joplin and Springfield. NANPA can mean: the North American Numbering Plan Administrator [1] the North American Nature Photography Association [2] Nanpa also refers to the Japanese renai games of Dokyusei ... The area code 314 serves the city of Saint Louis, Missouri, and most suburbs located in Saint Louis County, Missouri. ... Branson is a city in Taney County, Missouri, United States. ... Main Street in Joplin in 2005 Joplin is a city located in parts of southern Jasper County and northern Newton County in the southwestern corner of Missouri. ... Springfield is the third largest city in Missouri. ...

Missouri joins the new area code trend

By late 1996, due to degregulation caused by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the proliferation of cell phones, especially in the Kansas City area, Missouri was faced with yet another area code split. Just two years earlier, area code 314 had to be split, leaving the new area code 573 for the central and southeastern portions of the state, including the cities of Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Hannibal and Jefferson City, leaving 314 in the areas around St. Louis. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the first major overhaul of United States telecommunications policy in nearly 62 years, modifying earlier legislation, primarily the Communications Act of 1934. ... Cellular redirects here. ... The 573 area code covers a large area of the state of Missouri. ... Cape Girardeau (pronounced ) (French: Cap-Girardeau, pronounced ) is a city located in the county of the same name in Missouri, 100 miles south of Saint Louis. ... Hannibal (Americas Hometown) is a city located in Marion and Ralls County, Missouri. ... Location Government Country  State   County United States  Missouri   Cole   Callaway Mayor John Landwehr Geographical characteristics Area  - City    - Land    - Water 73. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Gateway City, Gateway to the West, or Mound City Location Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates , Government Country State County United States Missouri Independent City Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 66. ...

In early 1997, the Missouri Public Service Comission, which oversees telecommunications in the state, held hearings regarding a possible split of the area code. The original recommendation of the Missouri PSC was to keep 816 for the Kansas City area and assign a new area code to the rest of the calling area, as it would cause the least disruption. (1)

On June 4, 1997, the Missouri PSC announced that starting on October 12 of that year, that a period of permissive dialing would commence for those areas that were to receive the new area code 660, meaning that calls could be completed using either 660 or 816. On April 19, 1998, 660 became mandatory for all calls in the affected area. (2)

Major cities in area code 816

• Gladstone
• Harrisonville
• Independence
• Kansas City
• Lees Summit
• St. Joseph

Gladstone is a city located in Clay County, Missouri, founded in 1952. ... Harrisonville is a city located in Cass County, Missouri. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Fountains or Heart of America Location Location in Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass Counties in the state of Missouri. ... Lees Summit is a city located in Jackson and Cass County, Missouri. ... Saint Joseph (also known as St. ...

Former major cities in area code 816 (now in area code 660)

• Boonville
• Kirksville
• Marshall
• Maryville
• Sedalia
• Trenton
• Warrensburg

Area code 660 is the new telephone numbering plan code for Northern and Western Missouri in the North American Numbering Plan. ... Boonville is a city located in Cooper County, Missouri, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 8,202. ... Kirksville is a city located in Adair County, Missouri. ... Marshall is a city located in Saline County, Missouri. ... Maryville is a city located in Nodaway County, Missouri. ... Sedalia is a city located in Pettis County, Missouri, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 50 and U.S. Highway 65. ... Trenton is a city located in Grundy County, Missouri. ... Warrensburg is a city located in Johnson County, Missouri. ...

External Links

• NANPA-Missouri area code map
• 1947 area code plan map at areacode-info.com

See also

• List of North American area codes
• North American Numbering Plan
• Area code 660