THE CHICAGO IL REAL ESTATE MARKET, AND OTHER THINGS CHICAGO, FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A LITTLE WHITE DOG!

I am so sorry I am tardy with my weekly post, you dogs!  Over the last several days, I have been a bit under the weather.  My Human Mom, Dean's Team Member Sue Moss, told me that sleep would be the best remedy.

As you see here, I am actually sleeping, while completely awake!

Most dogs I know do have a programmable cell phone - although text messaging is a bit hard for those of us with no opposable thumbs in our paws.   Virtually all of us have land line phones with a Speed Dialing Feature.

Starting tomorrow here in Chicago, however, we all expect a bit of chaos to ensue.

As reported in yesterday's Chicago Tribune by Reporter Kayce T. Ataiyero, the City of Chicago is getting a new area code, the first new area code in city limits since 1997, when the 773 Area Code came to Chicago Neighborhoods outside of Downtown Chicago and The Chicago Loop.  Many longtime Chicago residents curse the day they lost Area Code 312.

This new three-digit code - 872 - will be assigned only to new numbers in the city itself - current numbers in the in-city 312 and 773 area codes will not be changed.

However, thousands of cell and land line phones currently programmed to speed dial only 7 digits for numbers in a user's own area code will have to be re-programmed to now dial 10 or 11 digits. 

Effective early tomorrow, everyone dialing within the 312 and 773 codes will have to dial that area code before the seven-digit phone number.  Land line users will have to enter "1" before the area code.

Although 10 or 11 digit dialing has been standard in most Chicago North and Northwest Suburbs for years, City of Chicago Residents have been spared this added inconvenience.  But that is about to end!

As of tomorrow, the Chicago Metro Area will have a total of 10 area codes.  The City of Chicago itself will have three - 312, 773, and 872.  The Northwest Suburbs now have two - 847 and 223. The Western Suburbs - 630 and 331.  The Southern Suburbs, and some close-in Western Suburbs - 708.  Further West - two area codes, 815 and 779.

A bit of nostalgia, you dogs!  Up until 1988, Chicago and most of the Chicago Suburbs only had ONE area code - 312.  My Human Dad, Team Leader Dean, longs for those wistful, simpler times.

You folks out in Wyoming, where there is only one area code for the ENTIRE STATE - we envy you!

Enjoy the weekend, you dogs!  Dial carefully!

Please read my post today via BlogChicagoHomes.com.

YOUR ACE REPORTER ON FOUR PAWS,

BUDDY HOLLY MOSS & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO