The 724 area code is a numbering plan area running in the western and southwestern portion of Pennsylvania, including most of the suburbs of the Pittsburgh metro area.
This codification forms part of the 13 dialing numbers assigned to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Besides, this prefix is overlaid by the 878 area code, which surrounds the same service region and covers the 412 code too.
The 724 area code belongs to the Eastern Daylight time zone, just like the rest of Pennsylvania’s prefixes. At the moment, it serves 13 counties, including Allegheny that is the second-most populous of the state and the municipalities of New Castle, Murrysville, Hermitage, and Greensburg.
1. History
The Bell System and AT&T assigned four dialing codes for the commonwealth of Pennsylvania with the establishment of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) created in 1947. These four area codes were the prefixes 215, 717, 814, and 412 that covered each one of the four quadrants of the state.
With the introduction of these prefixes, Western Pennsylvania received the 445 area code. On February 1, 1998, codification 724 started serving covering small portions of the Pittsburgh metro area.
Originally, this number would be implemented as an overlay for the 412 area code. Nevertheless, this method was still a new concept in the telecommunications system of the era. For that reason, the authorities decided to implement the codification 724 as a split of the original number.
Just three years after the introduction of the 724 code the saturation of the network forced the addition of a new numbering plan area for this region. August 17, 2001, the prefix 878 began service forming part of an overlay plan that made mandatory ten-digit dialing for this section of Pennsylvania.
2. Location
Admitted on December 12, 1787, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the second state added to the union. Classified as a Mid-Atlantic state, it is bordered by New York State and Lake Erie to the north, to the south by West Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware, to the west by Ohio, and New Jersey and New York to the east.
The 724 covered the western portion of the state, which encompasses 26 counties, including Allegheny, Cambria, Bedford, and Jefferson. This section of Pennsylvania expands across 20,363 square miles and encloses around 4 million inhabitants. However, it isn’t designated as an official region.
The principal urban area of Western Pennsylvania is the Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV Combined Statistical Area, which is compounded by 12 counties and includes portions of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.
The 724 area code disposes of 404 non-unique postal area zip codes and surrounds a total area of 6992.50 square miles.
Adjacent codes
Pennsylvania telephone network is compounded by 13 area codes; four of them, the 412, 814, 717, and 215, were installed in 1947 as part of the 86 original prefixes of the NANP. In contrast, the most recent code added is the 445 on March 3, 2018, which serves as an overlay for the number 215.
Harrisburg, the city-state capital receives the codifications 717 and its overlay 223 that surround South Central Pennsylvania and the Susquehanna Valley. For its part, the largest city of the state, Philadelphia, is served by the prefixes 215, 267, and 445.
Most of eastern Pennsylvania functions with the 610 area code, which is the most employed codification of the state serving nearly 2.6 million users. Moreover, it possesses a single overlay, the 484 code and both codes run in 9 counties.
3. Most Important Locations in the 724 Area Code
New Castle
Established in 1798, and incorporated as a city in 1869, this city is the county seat of Lawrence County. Located 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, it belongs to the northwestern side of the Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-WV-OH Combined Statistical Area.
Encompassing around 23k residents, it is the most populous municipality covered by the 724 area code and stands out as the main city of the New Castle, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. Furthermore, due to its rich ethnic, religious, and racial diversity, this city has been referred to as “Little New York City”
New Castle sprawls across 8.54 square miles and possesses 6 non-unique ZIP codes: 16101, 16102, 16103, 16105, 16107, and 16108.
Murrysville
Located 22 miles east of Pittsburgh, Murrysville covers a total area of 36.84 square miles. Forming part of Westmoreland County, this municipality encloses over 22k inhabitants, becoming the second-most populated city in the coverage radius of the 724 area code.
Settled in 1788 as Franklin Township, it became a home rule municipality in August 1976. Since its establishment Murrysville has been a suburban community, some of the neighborhoods that constitute this city include Heather Highlands, Franklin Estates, and Murrysville Heights.
This location owns just 2 non-unique ZIP codes: 15632 and 15668.
4. Other Important Districts and ZIP Codes of the 724 Area Code
The 724 area code corresponds to one of the principal urban areas of the state and covers 13 of the 67 Pennsylvania counties:
- Allegheny County: Located in southwest Pennsylvania, Allegheny is the second-most populous county of the state with around 2 millionpeople. Its county seat is Greensburg and disposes of 141 ZIP codes.
- Westmoreland County: founded on February 26, 1773, it was the first county settled in the colony. It covers a total area of 1,036square miles and possesses a population estimated at 345k Murrysville stands out as its largest city and owns 85 ZIP codes.
- Washington County: enclosing nearly 206k inhabitants, Washington is the third-most populous county covered by the 724 area code and the 18th most populous of the state. It surrounds over 861square miles and has 57 ZIP codes.
Main Postal and Shipping Services
- Pak Mail Pittsburgh Crate & Ship, Irwin, PA, - +1 724-382-5147
- Pack N Ship, Aliquippa, PA, - +1 724-203-0406
- Shipping Depot, Allison Park, - +1 724-443-8711
5. FAQs
What is the most employed area code of Pennsylvania?
The most populous codification of the state is the 610 area code serving 2.7 million users.
When did the 724 area code start serving?
The 724 area code started running on February 1, 1998.