NC to Add New Overlay Area Code to 336 in Piedmont

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Northwest North Carolina is getting a new area code.

The North Carolina Utilities Commission says it will start adding numbers with a 743 area code to numbers already in the 336 area code that extends from Burlington through the Triad and into Wilkes County.

The new 743 numbers will start being assigned on May 23. But to get ready, the commission will require all phone calls made in the area use 10 digits - the number plus the area code - tarting on April 22.

Customers can begin using 10-digit dialing this weekend if they want.

The 743 area code will be the ninth for North Carolina, which had two area codes up until the early 1990s.

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