Old telephone prefixes

**old guy** · March-01-21, 10:46 AM

I only lived in Detroit for a few years, but TY8-7100 will be seared into my mind forever.

**old guy** · March-04-21, 12:12 AM

Originally Posted by old guy

I only lived in Detroit for a few years, but TY8-7100 will be seared into my mind forever.

By the way, I assumed everyone from Detroit knew this number, from the remodeling king of Detroit that no matter where I moved I still heard his advertisement telling me to call him to remodel the house I didn’t own. Mr. B. 24/7

**Wheels** · March-04-21, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by old guy

By the way, I assumed everyone from Detroit knew this number, from the remodeling king of Detroit that no matter where I moved I still heard his advertisement telling me to call him to remodel the house I didn’t own. Mr. B. 24/7

We do good work.

https://youtu.be/7W8Rnp3t6uY

**Bigb23** · March-04-21, 07:40 PM

Originally Posted by Wheels

We do good work.

https://youtu.be/7W8Rnp3t6uY

I always liked this one -

"Puff the Magic Contractor" Oooh the colors !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0ktiBVlgZw

I also have to throw this in [[My ringtone for 8+ years)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbrdImfvFmQ

**expatriate** · December-02-23, 12:25 PM

This brings up the question of how were the alphabetic prefixes determined as there could have been several possibilities for the number combinations on the dial. I'm guessing they were officially determined by Bell when they were assigning phone numbers, but what level of telephone executive got to make that call I wonder.

**9936Sussex** · March-03-21, 10:54 AM

I grew up on Sussex near Plymouth & Greenfield on the west side. Our number was VErmont 62365. I’ve forgotten a lot of other phone numbers in my life, but never that one!

**birwood** · March-03-21, 12:23 PM

When I grew up in the Wyoming & Schoolcraft area the No. was WEbster5-8307 and later on Penrod in the Joy Southfield area it was LUzon1-9228.

**Ray1936** · March-04-21, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by birwood

When I grew up in the Wyoming & Schoolcraft area the No. was WEbster5-8307 and later on Penrod in the Joy Southfield area it was LUzon1-9228.

Schoolcraft and Meyers here, Birwood, phone no. was WEbster 4-2539. But I spent a lot of time at Schoolcraft and Wyoming waiting for the bus there to take me to Mackenzie H.S.. Ah, those were the days. [[Except in November, December, January, February, and 90 percent of March...for the weather.) Wait....that's nearly the whole year! And all you folks wonder why I moved to Las Vegas, eh? Bwahhhahahaha!

**bust** · March-03-21, 01:49 PM

I'd be really interested to learn why each prefix was chosen for each particular exchange, if anyone knows it.

**Jimaz** · November-17-23, 09:47 PM

The Dial Comes To Town

A 1940 educational short by Bell Telephone to show customers that were receiving new dial phones how to use the new device, and why they were getting these new sets.

AI supplants the operator. Oh my!

**Lowell** · November-22-23, 09:56 AM

Originally Posted by Jimaz

The Dial Comes To Town

AI supplants the operator. Oh my!

Entertaining. Interesting how the target audience are the elderly.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · November-22-23, 01:29 PM

Mine was UN-4 -0571 [[University) Northwest Detroit.

**Ray1936** · November-22-23, 05:48 PM

When we moved into Detroit from Dearborn [[yeah, dumb move, but that was 1946) our phone number was DAvison 2539. Few years later when they went to seven digits it was changed to WEbster 4-2539. Was nice they let us keep our last four digits.

**jcole** · November-23-23, 09:22 AM

Upper east side; Kelly and 7 mile. LA7-5380. 16061 Maddelein. Have never forgotten it

**expatriate** · November-23-23, 11:32 AM

On the lower East Side our number was EDgewater 18904, my neighbor down the street was VAlley 27281, when we moved to Grosse Pointe it was TUxedo 57182 and when I lived in Ferndale it was LIncoln 71532. Kind of frightening that I can remember these from decades ago, and not ones I learned last week.

**jiminnm** · November-24-23, 11:12 AM

I posted in this thread a couple of years ago, with my grandparents' and parents' numbers. When I read that post I realized that my parents sold that house and moved south in 1990. My grandparents have been dead for more than a half century and their house is long gone. Yet, both of those phone numbers are still embedded in my brain, but I can't remember the last couple of my own phone numbers.

**mikefmich** · November-24-23, 05:25 PM

TUxedo 4-2340 120' from Grosse Pointe Wds into Harper Wds.

LAkeview 6-6947 and PRescott 5-6601, HW and SCS are 2 numbers I dialed often, but they have not existed in my sphere for 60 some odd years, yet I still remember them. Do NOT ask me what I had for lunch. :P

**jcole** · November-25-23, 09:21 AM

**oladub** · November-26-23, 12:11 AM

There was TUxedo and TUlsa. We were on the far east side near Balduck Park with a TUxedo number. The differentiation might have had to do with which number following TU. In this thread, TUxedo numbers have begun with 1,2,4,5 and 6 and no one has dialed in with a TUlsa number.

**MikeM** · November-26-23, 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by oladub

There was TUxedo and TUlsa. We were on the far east side near Balduck Park with a TUxedo number. The differentiation might have had to do with which number following TU. In this thread, TUxedo numbers have begun with 1,2,4,5 and 6 and no one has dialed in with a TUlsa number.

TUlsa 3 was an exchange of of Highland Park. Lots of it dedicated to Chrysler.