HOUSTON — Houston boasts four area codes and local residents feel very strongly about each one, but why does 713 get a special day for celebration?
For starters, area code 713 is undoubtedly the OG!
It was established back in 1947 as part of the North American Numbering Plan, and it was the only Houston area code until 1996. That's when Houston split into two zones and most suburbs outside Beltway 8 got a new area code, 281.
At that point, the city was growing so fast, numbers couldn't keep up. As a result — only three years after adding a second area code — the Public Utility Commission scrapped the boundaries in 1999 and threw a third area code into the mix, 832. Finally, area code 346, came around 15 years later.
These aren't just digits, some people's identities are tied to these numbers.
Houston celebrates 7/13 Day because of 713.
Local comedian Chinedu Ogu says if you've got 713, you're a true Houston native. He says that's like the people who bought the first Google stock.
On the end of the spectrum is area code 346, which many of us are still getting used to.
So what's next? Nothing for a while.
It's predicted we won't need any more area codes until 2028 at the earliest.