In the old-timey days an area code helped to define a person. To Valley Girls, someone who lived in “The 818” was infinitely cooler than someone who was from “The 909,” and someone from “The 619” was going to be much more suntanned and relaxed than someone in “The 510.”
But, with the rise of cell phones and near elimination of long-distance charges on cell phones, the following cartoon better reflects how area codes define people nowadays.
Using the PDI database, and more than 3 million cellphone numbers on the voter file, we can see where these area codes have gone. There are a number of 415 area code voters in LA, for example, but most are on the westside, few in East LA. In fact, a place like West Hollywood, in the 323 officially, 48% of its cell phones have other area codes.
Don’t know that this has any campaign use, but it is an interesting look at the state and population movements since
you got that cell phone number wherever you lived in 2005.
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