[tophat9000]

There's a reason for that. The dramatic growth in computer-based communication in the last 10 years (e-mail, instant messaging, teleconferencing, etc.) has rendered the fax machine nearly obsolete. This has slowed down the growth in demand for new phone numbers in most metropolitan areas.

The flip side on this is the cell phone explosion... It not really land lines numbers but cell numbers that are eating up area codes... we would have been better off to have cell and land lines have different not intermixed areacodes/prefix like some other country do

So let say you have 310 as an area code... 310 would only be given to land lines ... but if you have a cell in the same area you would has a 3 digit cell network "area code" prefix that would only be for cell phones

The whole idea behind area codes is for a hierarchal routing system or "address" for the call

[Alberta's Child]

True, but I hear about more and more people who are now using their cell phones as their ONLY phone -- and simply doing away with the land line altogether.

[Ready4Freddy]

Cell providers fight that tooth & nail.

but if you have a cell in the same area you would has a 3 digit cell network "area code" prefix that would only be for cell phones