Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Grant
Construction and home service companies were the last to stop using exchange names in their ads. The use of the old format implied to customers that they had been in business for a long time, and thus (in perception, if not actuality) reliable.
Detroit's last user was a home improvement / construction business with a famous jingle, "TYler 8-****", which they used until about 2003! (I think they went out of business altogether).
I grew up with this phone number format, still find 5 digits easier to remember than 7, and thus still use it.
I've set my cell phone to show my number as DRexel-*-**** when I open it.
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A few cities up north (Chicago & Detroit among others) officially held onto the exchange names much longer than most places. Here in New Orleans any new prefixes opened up from about 1962-on were all digits, even if there was an exchange name in place (i.e. 522 and 529 added to the JAckson switch.) By 1965-66 Southern Bell stopped using names altogether.
Incidentally, "AUdubon5425" was my grandmother's phone number from 1936-59 (when AUdubon became HUnter 8)