Area Code 212 Location

Area code 212 is the classic New York City area code for Manhattan (New York County), covering the heart of the city’s business, media, and cultural life. It includes famous neighborhoods like Midtown, the Financial District, Harlem, the Upper East Side, and SoHo, and it’s widely seen as a prestige number. The code’s reach spans from Wall Street to Central Park, making it a key identifier for Manhattan phone numbers. Many people associate 212 with the city’s oldest and most established lines.

Iconic landmarks within the 212 area include:

• Times Square and the Broadway Theater District
• Central Park and the Museum Mile
• The Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center
• Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange
• United Nations Headquarters and Grand Central Terminal

First assigned in 1947, 212 was one of the original area codes in the North American Numbering Plan and once covered all five boroughs of New York City. It now serves Manhattan, while the outer boroughs use 718 and its overlays (with the Bronx shifting from 212 to 718 in 1992). To meet demand, Manhattan uses overlay codes 646 and 332, and citywide overlay 917 also applies to Manhattan numbers. These overlays mean multiple NYC area codes cover the same geography.

"Established: 1947; Overlays affecting Manhattan: 646 (1999), 332 (2017), 917 (NYC-wide, 1992)." — Source: North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA)

Today, 10‑digit dialing is standard across New York City because of these overlays. 212 numbers are scarce, so many new lines in Manhattan receive 646, 332, or 917 instead. A unique note: Marble Hill, legally part of Manhattan but wired to the Bronx network, uses 718/347/929/917 rather than 212. Whether you’re calling a Midtown office or a downtown startup, a 212 phone number still signals Manhattan at a glance.