The area codes in the U.S. State of New Jersey are a component of the North American Numbering Plan.
Area code 201 was the original, sole area code for New Jersey in 1947, when the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) devised the first continental telephone numbering plan.
It was also the first area code assigned in the numbering plan.
[1][2][3] This separated the two population centers (Philadelphia suburbs, and New York City suburbs) into distinct call routing systems for out-of-state long-distance calls.
In July 1963 central office code protection was lifted and the use of the area code was mandatory when dialing out of the caller's numbering plan area.