The 917 area code is a telephone numbering plan code serving the boroughs of New York City, including the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island in New York, United States. It was created as an overlay to the 212, 718, and 347 area codes in 1992, meaning that it was added to the same geographical region served by these area codes, but with new phone numbers having the 917 area code. The overlay helped to ensure a continued supply of telephone numbers as these area codes approached exhaustion due to the growth of the New York metropolitan area.