I don't know if what he said is true because Vonage will give you a 312 area code for a landline if you do not live in the Loop. At least that is what the guy at T Mobile told me because I wanted a 312 code but he said that would be illegal under the FCC because I do not live in the Loop or in the city of Chicago so they made me take 847 which sucks. In 2009, area code 872 was created and is currently an overlay to 312 and 773.
#312 AREA CODE UPDATE#
312 was split in 1996 creating the need to update some of the phone numbers to area code 773. It originally served the Chicago metropolitan area. Those phone numbers can be found in the following cities or locations: Chicago. It is illegal for you to have an area code outside where you live. The American area code 312 is one of the original 86 area codes created by AT&T and the Bell System in 1947. Phone numbers in the 312 area code can be found in 7 cities or locations. My main cell number has been a 773 number for about 15 years, but my parents' old land line phone number has been an alternate number on my cell for the last couple years, so my phone is effectively a 773 and 617 phone. I have loads of friends who have kept old cell numbers because they've had the numbers for years - so after 10 years in Chicago they still have a 212, 415, 617, 206, or whatever area code.
![312 area code 312 area code](https://data.formsbank.com/pdf_docs_html/316/3168/316877/page_1_thumb_big.png)
But I think area codes are pretty meaningless nowadays due to cell phones. The 312 area code encompasses the Chicago Loop, which houses the majority of Chicago’s business center. I was living here when 773 was introduced, and thought it was kind of annoying at the time. Another booming American metropolis is Chicago, and the 312 area code, which is the city’s original area code, will immediately tell callers that you are a part of the windy city.