WEST LEBANON, N.H. (WCAX) – “Don’t Overload the Code” is the message from New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu in response to the reality that the state may soon need to add an additional area code. The governor last week signed a bill that further promotes and adopts telephone number conservation measures.
Granite Staters say New Hampshire’s 603 area code is as synonymous as Live Free or Die.
“It just means New Hampshire and the motto Live Free of Die,” said Alicia Harrington, a life long resident of Grafton. She takes the reality of the 603 area code’s end of exclusivity in stride. “We definitely probably should add another one with how many people are coming up here, but I like 603.”
Simply put, with more people moving to the state and only a finite amount of numbers, an additional area code will be necessary if the state continues to grow.
“When I think of it, I think of anywhere in New Hampshire,” said Jane Rose, who has lived in Enfield for nearly 40 years. “As long as it’s a number we can remember and we know there are two numbers in the state, that’s fine with me.”
According to the governor, despite efforts to conserve numbers over the years, an additional area code could be needed as early as 2027. Sununu says that will likely have significant cultural and economic consequences for residents and businesses located in the state.
“When you call contractors with a 978 number — which I used to have — they don’t call you back,” said John Sheehan, who moved up from Massachusetts four years ago. “I think the identity of 603 is important, but if they have to do what they have to do, that’s great. But I want to keep my 603.”
Sununu has enlisted the state’s Department of Energy and Department of Business and Economic Affairs to further study the issue and report back with the findings, a job they will likely not be phoning in.