Telephone exchanges in the USA used to feature two initial letters, and if you have an old-fashioned dial or pushbutton telephone, you can still use them if you know what the exchange was for your area. In NYC the exchanges occasionally, but not frequently, stood for the neighborhoods in which they applied, such as on this sign, located at the BAyside Long Island Rail Road building at the car service adjoining it.
A full list of former NYC telephone exchanges can be found here.
8/28/15
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Staten Island had 2 Locals that I remember. SAint George and TOdt Hill. Some of the others were GIbraltar, HOneywood, YUkon, and ARgonne.
Queens had quite a few phone exchanges that were centered in the neighborhood of the exchange name – FLushing 3-5-8-9, JAmaica 3-6-9, FAr Rockaway 7, for example. These exchanges often included neighborhoods adjacent to the one in the exchange name. FLushing 3-5-8-9 extended into parts of Bayside; FAr Rockaway 7 covered the entire Rockaway peninsula.
The Bronx also had many neighborhood-themed exchanges – FOrdham 4-5-7; TRemont 2-8; KIngsbridge 6-7-8-9; MOtt Haven 9; MElrose 5.
I lived in Woodhaven.Our phone exchange began with VIrginia 7. Our neighbors had a HIckory exchange.
I lived in South Richmond Hill. My exchange was
MIchigan-1. Some of my classmates had VI-3 numbers
For the Virginia -3 exchange. Party lines were not uncommon in my neighborhood. I attended PS121 and many of my Catholic neighbors sent their kids to St Theresa’s
School on 130st and 111Ave.