Area codes 732 and 848

{{Short description|New Jersey, United States area codes}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2026}} {{Use American English|date=March 2026}} [[File:USA telephone area code map - New Jersey.svg|thumb|Numbering plan areas and area codes of New Jersey]] '''Area codes 732 and 848''' are telephone [[area code]]s in the [[North American Numbering Plan]] (NANP) for parts of the [[U.S. state]] of [[New Jersey]].

==History== In the original configuration of the [[original North American area codes|first nationwide telephone numbering plan]] of 1947, all of New Jersey was a single numbering plan area (NPA), assigned the first of all area codes, [[area code 201|201]]. By 1956, it was split to create a second numbering plan area, 609.<ref>{{cite journal |title=New Numbers for Tomorrow's Telephones |last=Sinks |first=William A. |journal=Bell Telephone Monthly |volume=38 |issue=4 |page=6 |date=Winter 1959 }}</ref> This division generally followed the dividing line between [[North Jersey]], proximate to [[New York City]], and [[South Jersey]], proximate to [[Philadelphia]] and the [[Jersey Shore]]. <ref>{{cite newspaper |last=Demasters |first=Karen |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/07/nyregion/the-new-phone-math-609-divided-by-2.html |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107172049/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/07/nyregion/the-new-phone-math-609-divided-by-2.html |archive-date=2012-11-07 |title=The New Phone Math: 609 Divided by 2 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=1999-02-07 |access-date=2025-05-15}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Despite the division into two numbering plan areas, all calls within the state of New Jersey were dialed without area codes until July 21, 1963.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Area Code Stickers To Go On 'Phones |date=1961-07-06 |publisher=The Hackettstown Gazette |page=3 |location=Hackettstown, NJ }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Nationwide Direct Distance Dialing |date=1961-03-26 |publisher=New Jersey Bell |type=company guide |page=2 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=New Jersey Bell customers will begin using area codes|publisher=Red Bank Register|date=1963-06-20}}</ref>

This configuration of two area code in New Jersey remained in place for c. 35 years, until 1991, when the 201 numbering plan area was further divided to create [[area code 908]] in its southern half. This made available more central office prefixes in the northern part, comprising the densely populated western suburbs of [[New York City]], as well as in the area south of [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], which fell into NPA 908.

On June 1, 1997, services growth in numbering plan area 908 required splitting the area with a new area code (732) assigned to its southeastern half, along the Atlantic seaboard.<ref>Newman, Andy. [https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/02/nyregion/new-area-codes-introduced.html?sq=area+code+732&scp=3&st=nyt "New Area Codes Introduced"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', June 2, 1997. Accessed January 23, 2008.</ref> 732 spells SEA -- the first three letters of the word "seashore" -- on a telephone keypad; it is not known, however, if choosing this particular area code was specifically for that purpose, or just a happy coincidence.

Following a six-month grace period, the use of the 732 area code became mandatory on December 6 of that year. The area includes [[Middlesex County, New Jersey|Middlesex]], [[Somerset County, New Jersey|Somerset]], and [[Union County, New Jersey|Union]] counties in Northern and Central New Jersey, and [[Monmouth County, New Jersey|Monmouth]] and northern [[Ocean County, New Jersey|Ocean]] counties on the New Jersey Shore.

The assignment of '''area code 848''' to the same numbering plan area in 2001 created an [[overlay complex]] for this region, after the pool of 732-numbers began to exhaust rapidly.<ref>McKay, Martha. [http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-8382118_ITM "New Jersey Assigned New Area Codes."], ''[[The Record (Bergen County)]]'', April 18, 2001. Accessed August 11, 2001. "The new New Jersey area codes -- 551, 356, and 848 -- were announced this week and will be introduced next year [2002, as of this writing] in the regions currently served by 201, 973, and 732, respectively." {{cite web|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-8382118_ITM |title=New Jersey Assigned New Area Codes. (18-APR-01) the Record (Hackensack, New Jersey) (Via Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News) |access-date=2008-08-11 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201072603/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-8382118_ITM |archive-date=December 1, 2008 }}</ref>

With the introduction of the area code 848 overlay, [[10-digit dialing]] became mandatory (on December 1, 2001). The 732/848 area, excluding the portion in Union County, generally defines the [[Central New Jersey]] region while [[Area codes 609 and 640|609/640]]/[[Area code 856|856]] and [[Area code 908|908]]/[[Area codes 201 and 551|201/551]]/[[Area codes 862 and 973|862/973]] generally mark [[South Jersey|Southern New Jersey]] and [[North Jersey|Northern New Jersey]], respectively.

==See also== {{Portal|New Jersey}} *[[List of New Jersey area codes]] *[[List of North American Numbering Plan area codes]]৪৮

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Area_code_footer|Map=NJ}}

{{Area code box|State=NJ| This=732/848| N=[[Area code 908|908]]| S=[[Area codes 609 and 640|609/640]]| E=[[Area codes 718, 347 and 929|718/347/929]]/[[Area code 917|917]], [[Atlantic Ocean]]| W=[[Area codes 609 and 640|609/640]], [[Area code 908|908]]| S1=NY }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Area Codes 732 And 848}} [[Category:Area codes in the United States|732]] [[Category:Area codes in New Jersey|732]] [[Category:1997 establishments in New Jersey|732]]