Telephone Exchange Names

By | May 25, 2016
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When I was a child I lived in San Bernardino, California from 1966 to 1969. I can still remember my home telephone number: TUrner 5-2176, sometimes abbreviated as TU 5-2176. My grandparents’ telephone number was TU 3-5155.

If I wanted to call my grandparents, since we both lived in the TUrner area, I only had to dial 3-5155. But if I called someone outside the TUrner area, I had to include the two letters, for example, to call someone at UNion 4-7721 I had to dial 864-7721.

So what or who was TUrner?

The Central Office

Prior to 1955, many people had been using exchange names that were not included in the official list and they were not required to change them. For example, I remember advertisements on television urging me to call RIchmond 9-5171 to go see Championship Wrestling at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. The official exchange names were PIlgrim, PIoneer, RIverside, RIverview, SHadyside, and SHerwood.

The National Numbering Plan

The National Number consists of ten digits as follows.

Table 1. Composition of the National Number.
Listed Directory Number
Area Code Office Code Station Number
X1 X2 X3 L L N N N N N

Where
L = Any letter from Table 2 below.
N = Any numeral from 0 to 9.
X1 = Any numeral from 2 to 9.
X2 = 0 (zero) or 1.
X3 = Any numeral from 0 to 9 when X2 = 0. Any numeral from 0 to 9 except 1 when X2 = 1.

Table 2. Dial Pulses Corresponding to the Letters of the Office Code Portion of the National Number.
Letters No. of Dial Pulses
A   B   C 2
D   E   F 3
G   H   I 4
J   K   L 5
M   N   O 6
P   R   S 7
T   U   V 8
W   X   Y 9

The information in Tables 1 and 2 was taken from “Section II Chart 1: The National Numbering Plan” in Notes on Nationwide Dialing (1955).

List of Suitable Central Office Names

Table 3. List of Suitable Central Office Names.
22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
ACademy
BAldwin
CAnal
CApital
CAstle
ADams
BElmont
BEverly
CEdar
CEnter
CEntral
CHapel
CHerry
CHestnut
CHurchill
CIrcle
ALpine
BLackburn
CLearbrook
CLearwater
CLifford
CLinton
AMherst
ANdrew
ANdrews
COlfax
COlony
COngress
BRidge
BRoad
BRoadway
BRown
BRowning
CRestview
CRestwood
ATlantic
ATlas
ATwater
AVenue
BUtler
AXminster
AXtel
CYpress
32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39
DAvenport
DAvis
EAst
EAstgate
FAculty
FAirfax
FAirview
DEerfield
DEwey
EDgewater
EDgewood
EDison
FEderal
DIamond
DIckens
FIeldbrook
FIeldstone
FIllmore
FIreside
ELgin
ELliot
ELmwood
FLanders
FLeetwood
EMerson
EMpire
ENdicott
FOrest
FOxcroft
DRake
DRexel
ESsex
FRanklin
FRontier
DUdley
DUnkirk
DUpont
EVergreen
FUlton
EXbrook
EXeter
EXport
EXpress
42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49
GArden
GArfield
HAmilton
HArrison
HAzel
GEneral
GEneva
HEmlock
HEmpstead
IDlewood
GIbson
GIlbert
HIckman
HIckory
HIllcrest
HIlltop
GLadstone
GLencourt
GLendale
GLenview
GLobe
HObart
HOmestead
HOpkins
HOward
INgersoll
GRanite
GReenwood
GReenfield
GReenleaf
GRover
GRidley
HUbbard
HUdson
HUnter
HUntley
HUxley
IVanhoe
GYpsy
HYacinth
HYatt
52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59
JAckson
LAfayette
LAkeside
LAkeview
LAmbert
LAwrence
JEfferson
KEllogg
KEystone
LEhigh
LEnox
KImball
KIngsdale
KIngswood
LIberty
LIncoln
LInden
Reserved
for radio
telephone
JOhn
JOrdan
LOcust
LOgan
LOwell
Reserved
for radio
telephone
JUniper
JUno
JUstice
LUdlow
LUther
LYceum
LYndhurst
LYnwood
LYric
62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69
MAdison
MAin
MArket
MAyfair
NAtional
MEdford
MElrose
MErcury
NEptune
NEwton
NEwtown
MIdway
MIlton
MIssion
MItchell
NIagara
OLdfield
OLive
OLiver
OLympia
OLympic
MOhawk
MOntrose
MOrris
NOrmandy
NOrth
NOrthfield
ORange
ORchard
ORiole
ORleans
OSborne
MUrdock
MUrray
MUseum
MUtual
OVerbrook
OVerland
MYrtle
OWen
OXbow
OXford
72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79
PAlace
PArk
PArkview
PArkway
RAndolph
RAymond
SAratoga
PErshing
REdfield
REdwood
REgent
REpublic
PIlgrim
PIoneer
RIverside
RIverview
SHadyside
SHerwood
PLateau
PLaza
PLeasant
PLymouth
SKyline
POplar
POrter
ROckwell
ROger
ROgers
SOuth
SOuthfield
PRescott
PResident
PRospect
SPring
SPruce
STate
STerling
STillwell
STory
SUnset
PYramid
SWathmore
SWift
SWinburne
SYcamore
82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89
TAlbot
TAlmadge
TAylor
VAlley
VAndyke
TEmple
TEnnyson
TErminal
TErrace
VErnon
THornwall
TIlden
VIctor
VIctoria
VIking
VInewood
ULrick
ULster
ULysses
TOwnsend
UNderhill
UNion
UNiversity
VOlunteer
TRemont
TRiangle
TRinity
TRojan
UPtown
TUcker
TUlip
TUrner
TUxedo
TWilight
TWinbrook
TWinoaks
TWining
92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99
WAbash
WAlker
WAlnut
WArwick
WAverly
WEbster
WElls
WEllington
WEst
WEstmore
YEllowstone
WHitehall
WHitney
WIlliam
WIlliams
WIlson
WIndsor
Reserved
for radio
telephone
WOodland
WOodlawn
WOodward
WOrth
YOrktown
Reserved
for radio
telephone
YUkon WYandotte
WYndown
WYman

The information in Table 3 was taken from “Section II Appendix A: List of Suitable Central Office Names” in Notes on Nationwide Dialing (1955).

References

American Telephone and Telegraph Company. Notes on Nationwide Dialing. 1955.

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