As a trivia question , identify which locations share the same three digit Area Code (phone) and the first 3-digits of the Zip Code (USPS).
Maybe somewhere in the 909 area code?
Blackwell, Missouri (63626, 636)
Amherst, Ohio (44035, 440) (and a few others in this area)
One I came across by accident (which prompted this thread) while looking at the credits for Shutterbug magazine is Palm Coast, Florida (321 and 32142).
Crap, just missed the edit: the big one is a bunch of places in Washington, DC.
Not to be personal, but it is only approaching 11:00 PM where I live (not that I have any reason to be calling you out on this) but why are you following this at 1:00 AM in Chicago land?
I generally don’t get to bed until 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. Just the way I’m wired, I guess. Always been a night owl.
Washington, D.C. for various governmental organizations. 202 area code and, for example the Department of Health and Human Services has the zip code 20201 (Department of Treasury has 20226).
I posted this thread with the realization that Zip Codes, to a certain extent, are defined by geographic location within the U.S. whereas Area Codes seem to have been created in a random fashion. Therefore it is interesting to see the locations that share common 3-digit identifiers. I suppose if I were in a more mathematically inclined frame of mind I might ask the question of what the probability of such a coincidence would be given the nature of the two identifiers.
The first area codes weren’t random at all. Remember that they had dial phones when they were created. For programming reasons, the middle number had to be either 0 or 1. Since dialing bigger numbers was inconvenient, the larger population areas got smaller numbers. So L.A. was 213, NYC was 212, Chicago 312, etc.
Looking at the area code and general ZIP code maps here are the states where it is even possible (the first three of zip is in a state that has that area code, though without checking that they’re in the same part of the state:
[ul]
[li]Alabama: Not possible. Zip codes are all 35xxx-36xxx. These area codes are in other states.[/li][li]Alaska: Not possible. Zip codes are all 995xx-999xx. These area codes are not in use.[/li][li]American Samoa: Not possible. Zip codes are all 967xx. This area code is not in use.[/li][li]Arizona: Not possible. Zip codes are all 85xxx-86xxx. These are codes are in other states. [/li][li]Arkansas: Not possible. Zip codes are all 716xx-729xx. These area codes are in other states.[/li][li]California: Possible. Zip codes are all 90xxx-961xx. Area codes: 909 is in Los Angeles/Riverside area, 916 is Sacramento area, 925 is east bay area, 949 is Irvine area, 951 is in Riverside county. Other area codes in that range are in other states.[/li][li]Colorado: Not possible. ZIP codes are all 80xxx-81xxx. These area codes area codes are in other states. [/li][li]Connecticut: Not possible. ZIP codes are all 06xxx. These area codes area codes are not in use. [/li][li]Delaware: Not possible. ZIP codes are all 197xx-199xx. These area codes area codes are not in use. [/li][li]District of Columbia: Possible. Zip codes 200xx for citizen and 202xx-205xx or 569xx for the federal government. Area code 202 is the area code for DC.[/li][li]Florida: Possible. Zip codes are all 32xxx-34xxx. Area code 321 is central Atlantic coast, other area codes are in other states.[/li][li]Georgia: Not possible. Zip codes are all 30xxx-31xxx or 398xx-399xx. These area codes are in other states.[/li][li]Guam: Not possible. Zip codes are all 969xx. This area code is not in use.[/li][li]Hawaii: Not possible. Zip codes are all 967xx-968xx. These area codes are not in use.[/li][li]Idaho: Not possible. Zip codes are all 832xx-839xx. Idaho’s only area code is 208.[/li][li]Illinois: Possible. ZIP codes are all 60xxx-62xxx. Ara code 618 is southern Illionis. Other area codes area codes are in other states. [/li][li]Indiana: Not possible. Zip codes are all 46xxx-47xxx. These area codes are in other states.[/li][li]Iowa: Possible. Zip codes are all 50xxx-52xxx. Area code 515 is the Des Moines/Ames area. Other area codes are in other states.[/li][li]Kansas: Not possible. Zip codes are all 66xxx-67xxx. These area codes are in other states.[/li][li]Kentucky: Not possible. Zip codes are all 40xxx-42xxx. These area codes are in other states.[/li][li]Louisiana: Not possible. Zip codes are all 700xx-715xx. These area codes are in other states.[/li][li]Maine: Not possible. ZIP codes are all 039xx-049xx. These area codes area codes are not in use. [/li][li]Marshall Islands: Not possible. Zip codes are all 969xx. This area code is not in use.[/li][li]Maryland: Not possible. Zip codes are all 206xx-219xx. These area codes are in other states.[/li][li]Massachusetts: Not possible. ZIP codes are all 010xx-027xx. These area codes area codes are not in use. [/li][li]Michigan: Not possible. Zip codes are all 48xxx-49xxx. These area codes are in other states.[/li][li]Micronesia: Not possible. Zip codes are all 969xx. This area code is not in use.[/li][li]Minnesota: Not possible. Zip codes are all 550xx-567xx. These area codes are in other states.[/li][li]Mississippi: Not possible. Zip codes are all 386xx-397xx. These area codes are in other states.[/li][li]Missouri: Possible. ZIP codes are all 63xxx-65xxx. Area code 616 is east central Missouri. Other area codes area codes are in other states. [/li][li]Montana: Not possible. Zip codes are all 59xxx. Montana’s only area code is 406. [/li][li]Nebraska: Not possible. Zip codes are all 68xxx-69xxx. These area codes are in other states.[/li][li]Nevada: Not possible. Zip codes are all 889xx-899xx. Nevada’s only area codes are 702 and 775. [/li][li]New Hampshire: Not possible. ZIP codes are all 030xx-038xx. These area codes area codes are not in use. [/li][li]New Jersey: Not possible. ZIP codes are all 07xx-08xxx. These area codes area codes are not in use. [/li][li]New Mexico: Not possible. ZIP codes are all 870xx-884xx. New Mexico’s only two area codes are 505 and 575. [/li][li]New York: Not possible. ZIP codes are all 05xxx or 10xxx-14xxx. These area codes area codes are not in use. [/li][li]North Carolina: Not possible. Zip codes are all 27xxx-28xxx. These area codes are in other states.[/li][li]North Dakota: Not possible. Zip codes are all 58xxx. North Dakota’s only area code is 701.[/li][li]Northern Marianas Islands: Not possible. Zip codes are all 969xx. This area code is not in use.[/li][li]Ohio: Possible. Zip codes are all 43xxx-45xxx. Area code 440 is northeast Ohio, other area codes are in other states.[/li][li]Oklahoma: Not possible. Zip codes are all 73xxx-74xxx. These area codes are in other states.[/li][li]Oregon: Possible. ZIP codes are all 97xxx. Area codes: 971 is in northwest Oregon. Other area codes are in other states. [/li][li]Palau: Not possible. Zip codes are all 969xx. This area code is not in use.[/li][li]Pennsylvania: Not possible. ZIP codes are all 150xx-196xx. These area codes area codes are not in use. [/li][li]Puerto Rico: Not possible. Zip codes are all 006xx-009xx. These area codes are not in use. [/li][li]Rhode Island: Not possible. ZIP codes are all 028xx-029xx. These area codes area codes are not in use. [/li][li]South Carolina: Not possible. Zip codes are all 29xxx. These area codes are in other states.[/li][li]South Dakota: Not possible. Zip codes are all 57xxx. South Dakota’s only area code is 605.[/li][li]Tennessee: Not possible. Zip codes are all 370xx-385xx. These area codes are in other states.[/li][li]Texas: Not possible. Zip codes are all 75xxx-79xxx or 885xx. These area codes are in other states.[/li][li]U.S. Virgin Islands: Not possible. Zip codes are all 008xxx. This area code is not in use. [/li][li]Utah: Not possible. Zip codes are all 84xxx. These are codes are in other states. [/li][li]Vermont: Not possible. ZIP codes are all 05xxx. These area codes area codes are not in use. [/li][li]Virginia: Not possible. Zip codes are all 201xx or 220xx-246xx. These area codes are in other states.[/li][li]Washington: Not possible. ZIP codes are all 980xx-994xx. These area codes area codes are in other states. [/li][li]West Virginia: Not possible. Zip codes are all 247xx-269xx. These area codes are in other states.[/li][li]Wisconsin: Possible. ZIP codes are all 53xxx-54xxx. Area code 534 is in the northern part of the state. Other area codes area codes are in other states. [/li][li]Wyoming: Not possible. Zip codes are all 820xx-831xx. Wyoming’s only area code is 307. [/li]
[/ul]
This is the website I used to find a couple of the area code/zip code combinations quickly. If somebody is bored enough, it would be pretty easy to go through each state, cut and paste the data, and then write a script that checks if the first three digits of the zip code match the area code at the end.
Moved Cafe Society --> MPSIMS.
[quote=“obfusciatrist, post:12, topic:574508”]
[li]California: Possible. Zip codes are all 90xxx-961xx. Area codes: 909 is in Los Angeles/Riverside area, 916 is Sacramento area, 925 is east bay area, 949 is Irvine area, 951 is in Riverside county. Other area codes in that range are in other states.[/li][/QUOTE]
To refine this a bit: zip codes in California generally increase from south to north. For example, In Los Angeles zip codes are 90*** and 91***, while in the Bay Area they are 94*** and 95***. So of the area codes listed, 909 is the only one that has a shot at working.
Not worth a thread of it’s own, but I know of a couple of homes where the last 4 digits of the land line phone number is also the street address # of the house.
I thought it odd the first time, to be aware of 2, I am thinking is pretty unusual.
To nitpick, they kind of expand out from L.A. So Los Angeles is 90xxx, San Diego is 92xxx, Santa Barbara 93xxx and then increasing to the Bay Area.
Of course, this doesn’t work in Canada. Though we are also part of the North American [telephone] Numbering Plan (NANP) and use the same type of phone numbers and area codes, our postal codes have letters in them. 
I’m not sure whether any of the other territories in the NANP even have postal codes.
And if the tool pulykamell linked to above is accurate 909 doesn’t work because the 909xx sequence of zip codes isn’t actually used. It goes from 90899 (Long Beach) to 91001 (Altadena).
So checking the possibles I mentioned:
202 - DC. Yes
321 - Florida. No. 321 area code is all in 327xx-329xx or 347xx.
440 - Ohio. Yes. Complete overlap of area code and that range of zip. Here are the listed localities:
515 - Iowa. No. 515xx zip codes are all in area code 712. 515 area code is all 50xxx zip codes.
534 - Wisconsin. No. 534xx zip codes are all Racine which is area code 262.
618 - Illinois. No. 618xx zip codes are all in the 217 area code.
636 - Missouri. Yes. Only slight overlap. Blackwell, MO, is area code 636 and zip code 63626. All other 636xx zip codes are area code 573.
909 - California. No. 909xx zip codes are not in use.
916 - California. No. 916xx zip codes are all in the 818 area code.
925 - California. No. 925xx zip codes are all in the 951 area code.
949 - California. No. 949xx zip codes are all in the 415 or 707 area codes.
951 - California. No. 951xx zip codes are all San Jose area and in the 408 area code.
971 - Oregon. Yes. The 971xx zip codes are all in the 503/971 area code overlay. The listed localities are:
Palm Coast, Florida, is mentioned above for area code 321 and ZIP code 32142. That is the correct area code but Palm Coast is in the 386 area code (of course, it is possible a business has a phone number from elsewhere that doesn’t match their address).