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OUR AREA. OUR CODE. In the mid-20th century the area code phone system came into effect. It was designed by the Bell Telephone company to respond to the country’s rapidly expanding telephone network in order to automate (Direct Distance) dialing and to be able to continue to capitalize on long distance phone calls. But, since the flattening of the national phone grid, area codes have shed their monetary worth and have gained cultural value. They now serve as a way to connect us to a physical place and serve to refine our perceptions of who we are. At the start of 2002, the (219) area code that had served the northern third of Indiana since the1950s was divided into three regions. This is when northeast Indiana (including Fort Wayne) was designated with the (260) area code. This change was necessitated due to the high demand for phone numbers from the development of cellular phones, fax machines, pagers, computer modems and other telecommunications devices; the change was a way to stop the phenomenon known as “number depletion.” And as northeast Indiana began to use the (260) as a way to create a sense of place and to create camaraderie by being able to bring people together under a universal fact of identification, despite our differences in age, sex, race, religion, original place of origin or beliefs, it became apparent the (260) could be used as a symbol for us to brag and celebrate about the place we, collectively, call home. Thus, it became apparent we could use February 6, 2/6/Year as 260 DAY and as a way to bring us together to proclaim our love for the region. The day is designed to be a grassroots initiative encouraging communities to come up with individualized ways to celebrate how great it is to be part of the (260). Fort Wayne magazine spearheaded the creation of 260 DAY and serves as its curator. The magazine worked diligently to get 260 DAY-themed deals & specials from regional businesses, restaurants, retailers and organizations as a way to punctuate the specialness of the day and to provide a proverbial pat-on-the-back to acknowledge all of those who have made the smart choice to call 260 home. KNOW THE CODE. BE 260 PROUD