Area Code 742 — Hamilton, Ontario

742 Area Code – Hamilton, Ontario: Location, Time Zone & History

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About Area Code 742

Region Code
742
City
Hamilton
State
Ontario
Largest City
Mississauga
Neighboring Codes
  • 416 (Toronto, Ontario)
  • 519 (London, Ontario)
  • 705 (Sudbury, Ontario)
  • 613 (Ottawa, Ontario)
  • 716 (Buffalo, New York)
Time Zone
Eastern Time

Map of Area Code 742

History & Cultural Notes

Suburban municipalities ringing Toronto -- Hamilton, Mississauga, Brampton, Burlington, Oakville, and St. Catharines -- are collectively known as "the 905," a nickname for the Golden Horseshoe that now carries four area codes layered atop one another. The newest, 742, entered service October 16, 2021, following CRTC Telecom Decision 2020-362, which found the existing 289/365/905 complex projected to exhaust its central office codes by late 2022.

742 is a distributed overlay, meaning new phone numbers anywhere across the shared 905/289/365 territory can be assigned a 742 prefix rather than the code marking out a distinct sub-region. The complex traces back to 1993, when 905 split off from Toronto's 416; 289 was added as an overlay in 2001, and 365 followed in 2013. Because the region had already required mandatory ten-digit dialing since 2001, 742 activated without any permissive-dialing transition period.

Economically, the 742 footprint spans advanced manufacturing and steel production, logistics, financial-services back-office operations, higher education, and Niagara's wine and agriculture industry. Politically, the 905 belt is often cited as a bellwether region in both federal and provincial elections, distinct in identity from Toronto's "the 416."