What’s the Right Area Code for You?

Will writes in:

I’m new to the area, and want to get a local number before I start sending out resumes for set PA positions. I’m wondering what area code is the best for a PA in the LA area to have. There are droves of internet articles out there about area code snobbery, and I know that it’s silly , but without going into that I’ve ranked my choices from top to bottom as: 310; 213; 818; 323. Any thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated.

Back when your phone was plugged into the wall, your area code was a rough indicator of the area you lived in. 213, for instance, is the oldest area code in the Los Angeles area, but is now mostly contained to downtown and South Central. In 1990s, it was a Rich Man, Poor Man situation: you were either a student at the University of Spoiled Children, or an extra in a John Singleton movie.

But with cell phones nowadays, people have all kinds of crazy area codes. Just a random glance at my current crew list, I see: 661, 562, 907, 626, 616, 714, 805, 206, 312, 989, 781.

An area code tells you virtually nothing about the person. Don’t worry about it. Take whatever number the phone company gives you.

Save that brain space for something important, like getting a better email address.