By Craig Hlavaty, Houston Chronicle | May 9, 2013 | Updated: May 10,
2013Houston is adding an additional area code, with 346 overlaying existing area codes 713, 281 and 832 in Harris, Fort Bend, Waller, Austin, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Liberty, Chambers, Galveston and Brazoria counties.
With great growth comes change, and soon Houston will be getting another area code to accommodate telecommunications. Say hello to 346.
The Public Utility Commission announced the addition today: "The 346 area code will overlay existing area codes 713, 281 and 832 in Harris, Fort Bend, Waller, Austin, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Liberty, Chambers, Galveston and Brazoria counties," said a release from the PUC.
A projection that the existing area codes would run out of numbers by September 2014 was what lead to 346 being added to the Houston area. Starting July 1, 2014, new phone numbers can get the 346 area code.
Source:
Obviously, "existing area codes would run out of numbers by September
2014" should have been "running out of Central Office codes." But I guess newspaper writers don't understand such things.Southeast Texas originally had one area code, 713. Brazoria, where I live (50 miles south of Houston), was part of 713. The first split was 409, a doughnut-shaped area surrounding the Houston metro area, which kept 713. Predictably, 713 needed to be split again, so the PSC created a doughnut-within-a-doughnut for 281. The next time around, the PSC finally gave up, dissolved the 713/281 line, overlaid 832 on top, and mandated 10D dialing throughout. The new code 346 will be overlaid over the same area, presumably with little opposition. Bus some of the comments following the article still oppose 10D dialing.
Meanwhile, the outer doughnut (409) has been split into three pieces. Galveston retained 409; the northern chunk got 936, and the southern and western areas got 979.
Neal McLain Writing from 979 formerly 409 formerly 713