# old timey phone exchanges and numbers, like BElmont5-0600 **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 17, 2003, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-phone-exchanges-and-numbers-like-belmont5-0600/213714 "2003-11-17T16:18:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-phone-exchanges-and-numbers-like-belmont5-0600/213714/21 "2003-11-18T22:06:16Z")
GotPasswords said, "This will (heh) ring a bell for Chicagoans: [deep bass voice] HUdson 3-2700 [/foghorn] - Boushelle Carpet. How 'bout, “Call Mohawk 4-4100 Heap Big “T” for Television.” ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-phone-exchanges-and-numbers-like-belmont5-0600/213714/22 "2003-11-18T22:49:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by nineiron \* > \*\*But this system is still used, in a way: > > “Call 1-800-NEW-CARS for the best deals.” > > \*\* I hate Hate HATE “word numbers”. I hate having to look up the letter for each number. Would it kill adwriters to repeat “1-800-639-2277” after their cute little wordnumber? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-phone-exchanges-and-numbers-like-belmont5-0600/213714/23 "2003-11-18T23:14:59Z")
In my town there was only one exchange, PIoneer 3, or 743, for about thirty years. You dialed “3” plus four digits for all local calls. People are still used to giving out their phone numbers as four digits even tho we now have TWO (\*\* Count 'Em, TWO! \*\*) exchanges now, 743 and 746. Of course, no one needs to give out their numbers, anyway; everyone’s in the (very small) book! Unlisted numbers are rare – why would you want an unlisted one? No one could find you in the book! ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-phone-exchanges-and-numbers-like-belmont5-0600/213714/24 "2003-11-18T23:29:36Z")
When I was a wee mite, our phone number was CRestview 5-####, and then it changed to 275-####. My parents still have this number today. The interesting thing is, though that Beverly Hills had both the CRestview and BRadshaw exchanges, which translate to the same numbers on the dial. I’m not sure, but I think in the old days you could have had BR#-#### and CR#-### with the last five numbers the same, and yet they would be different phones in different houses. ---
**Author:** ![Roches](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bc8723/32.png) [@Roches](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roches)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-phone-exchanges-and-numbers-like-belmont5-0600/213714/25 "2003-11-18T23:31:57Z")
I love word numbers. =] Since I don’t think this has been posted yet, you can find all the possible words a phone number spells at [PhoNETic](http://www.phonetic.com/). And you can find a list of names for exchanges at [The Telephone EXchange Name Project](http://ourwebhome.com/TENP/TENproject.html). Unfortunately, the proliferation of 1’s and 0’s (and 9’s, for that matter, considering the number of words with W, X or Y) in newly-issued phone numbers makes it hard to get a meaningful mnemonic without trying… but I’ve still found a few interesting ones. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-phone-exchanges-and-numbers-like-belmont5-0600/213714/26 "2003-11-19T02:09:59Z")
Didn’t many in New York CIty hold out until the 1980s and 1990s? I remember ads from NYC television stations that we got on cable that used phone numbers with words. I’ve also seen old-timey phone numbers on vans and trucks in fairly recent street scenes in NYC ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-phone-exchanges-and-numbers-like-belmont5-0600/213714/27 "2003-11-19T02:45:07Z")
I grew up with a four-digit number, then we had to dial just the ‘2’ from ‘VIctor-2’, and finally ‘842’. My mother still has the same number, after nearly 50 years. I think my home town is still running on one exchange. ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-phone-exchanges-and-numbers-like-belmont5-0600/213714/28 "2003-11-19T02:52:31Z")
My roommate (20 years ago) and I were delighted when we deciphered our number as: MY-ROBOT Imagine our glee when were successful in changing it from 697-6268 to 697-3647 (MY-PENIS). Easy to remember! ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-phone-exchanges-and-numbers-like-belmont5-0600/213714/29 "2003-11-19T03:43:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NurseCarmen \* > PEnnsylvania 6-5-0-0-0! Which is still the telephone number of the Hotel Pennsylvania (though now you have to dial 212 first from anywhere in the city). ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-phone-exchanges-and-numbers-like-belmont5-0600/213714/30 "2003-11-19T03:58:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Musicat \* > \*\*In my town there was only one exchange, PIoneer 3, or 743, for about thirty years. You dialed “3” plus four digits for all local calls. > > \*\* MINE, TOO! In Northeast Philly, my phone number was PIoneer 3-XXXX (and said so on the rotary dial) and changed to merely PI3-XXXX sometime before memory serves…up until the early 80s when it simply became 743-XXXX ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-phone-exchanges-and-numbers-like-belmont5-0600/213714/31 "2003-11-19T21:06:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Spectre of Pithecanthropus \* > When I was a wee mite, our phone number was CRestview 5-####, and then it changed to 275-####. My parents still have this number today. The interesting thing is, though that Beverly Hills had both the CRestview and BRadshaw exchanges, which translate to the same numbers on the dial. I’m not sure, but I think in the old days you could have had BR#-#### and CR#-### with the last five numbers the same, and yet they would be different phones in different houses. That would have been possible only before rotary dials were put on phones – human operators would be able to distinguish Crestview 5 from Bradshaw 5. But as soon as dials are available, dialing either exchange would produce the same numbers (275), so the “last five numbers” could not have been the same if they were assigned to two different phones. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-timey-phone-exchanges-and-numbers-like-belmont5-0600/213714.md?page=1)