BILLINGS — Residents around Montana celebrated 406 Day despite growing concerns that the area code will soon be exhausted due to growth.
According to the North American Numbering Plan Administrator, the state's growing population could cause the area code to be exhausted by 2032.
Click here to learn why 406 means so much to Montanans:
For Montanans, like Roundup resident Debbie Wollman, the potential addition of a second area code would be unwelcome.
"I think we should leave it at 406," Wollman said Monday morning on a webcam interview. "That's insanity."
Wollman said her frustration stems from her passion for everything her home state has to offer.
"Oh my, where do I start?" Wollman said, when asked about what she loves most about Montana. "Everything. I love it. I don't think I'd want to live anywhere else."
Fellow Montanans Ty Paddock of Harlowtown and Mikale Lynch of Billings were on the Billings Rims enjoying nature. They both said they agreed with Wollman.
"You know the old saying, the last best place," Paddock said. "There's nothing like it."
"I mean for me, it's home," Lynch said. "I was born and raised right here."
Montana is one of just 11 states with only one area code. For residents and business owners, the numbers represent a statewide brand and identity, seen at places like the 406 Kitchen and Taproom in Billings.
"I mean everywhere you go, it’s Montana," Lynch said. "Whether you’re here out on the plains side of it or whether you’re out in Missoula or Bozeman or Butte, it’s all beautiful in its own way."
That's why April 6 (4/06) has become the unofficial holiday for Montanans, celebrating the Big Sky State.
Sierra West with Colstrip Parks organized a social media competition challenging people to post their best pictures of the state on the organization's Facebook page with the winner earning some Montana delectables from around the state.
"I like to see what other people think of Montana," West said of the competition. "Is it in their back yard, around the lake here in town, is it just down in the forest or is it across the state in like Glacier or Bozeman or wherever they might be at that time."
As the state continues to grow, phone numbers continue to be claimed. With experts predicting 2032 as the exhaust point, the Montana Public Service Commission recently took action to delay the addition of a second area code by unanimously voting that Qwest run an analysis.
PSC President Jeff Wellborn said that the action comes from two motivators: pride and business.
"I think a lot of Montanans, especially people that have lived here for awhile, take pride in the fact that we’re a big state with a single area code," Wellborn said. "There's a lot of businesses that are marketed with the area code."
While some residents want to fight the potential area code change, others believe it is inevitable.
"Times change, there’s nothing you can do about it. Nothing you can do about it," Paddock said.
