At one time, the prefix ( the first part of the number) was tied to a specific geographical area. That is, you could say that number 123-XXXX was located on the west side of town, between Main St. and Easy St. That is no longer the case.
With mechanical switching replaced by electronics, that number can be located almost anywhere the phone company goes.
Don't expect the folks at customer service to admit this, though. I finally got a decent answer after talking to the repair folks.
May no longer be the case, but some phone companies tie the prefixes to certain towns. I used to live in Morrisville, where '-295-' and '-736- are mostly used. In Levittown, '269-,' '-849-' and a few others are used.
So while it may be possible, phone companies just won't give you a number outside of your "Zone."
Ian A.
