New Mandatory Missouri Area Codes Starting Next Month

Looks like your old way of dialing/punching in a number on your phone is going to change come this April. According to a story you're dialing habits will be upped to three more numbers.

In a story from kctv.com, the change in the numbers will take place April 24. Area codes in Missouri that will be affected are 816, 660, 417, and 314.

The way it will work is, of course, different than how you dial a number now. For those of us in the 660 area code, we now dial xxx-xxxx. With the addition of the extra numbers you will dial 660-xxx-xxx in that area code.

According to the information from the kctv.com:

The change to 10-digit calling is necessary to accommodate the national “988” National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which takes effect July 2022. Missouri is one of 37 states required to enact 10-digit dialing for select area codes for the change.

I'm going to go old school and go back to my days of youth when I remember when you had to dial just five numbers. I knew there was even a day when it was just four numbers that were needed to make a phone call. Of course if you're old enough to remember and you grew up on a farm or in a rural area, it was the old crank phone. You would pick up the receiver and turn the handle to summon your party on the other end. Everyone had their own distinct number of long and short cranks on the handle to call. I think ours was two longs and a short. (Two complete rotations of the handle on the side of the phone and then one short to reach us.)

It's something new and a lot of us will gripe about it but it's actually very insignificant. Just a few more numbers to get you contacted on your phone.