Human language is all about optimizing for context. Abbreviations, contractions, etc. For humans, most of the time the current year and/or "com" are the default context, so it makes sense to present the most significant differentiating information first. If you think about it, that's also why "www." got dropped.
When I make a phone call, I have a "default context" -- my area code -- but people still seem happy enough with phone numbers that go from most general to most specific.
I'm old enough to remember when people would drop area codes. Long distance was expensive so 95% of the numbers you'd call were local. That being the default context, people would drop the area code in most local situations. There's plenty of archival newspaper ads that demonstrate this.
With cell phones and unlimited nationwide calling plans, it's more common to find an assortment of area codes in contact lists these days. What you're describing is not actually a default context. It's just your personal area code. The person next to you might very well have a different one.
It's not my "personal area code", it's... well, the area's area code, and it's the default for people in the area. People and businesses locally routinely give their number without the area code, because it's implied and doesn't need to be dialed. Even my cellphone has the default context of the area in which the SIM card was bought.
So I'm not sure what "old enough to remember" means when it's still true today. 95% of the numbers I call now are local businesses, so I only dial seven digits.
I don't know, maybe you're from the future or something.
It's only the default for new numbers. People carry their old numbers with them when they move, unlike the olden days. Bottom line, contact lists have a lot more mixed area codes now.
> 95% of the numbers I call now are local businesses
That might explain the difference of perspective here. Most people call other people on their phones, not just businesses.
At least according to the FCC, number portability was intended to allow moving between service providers. If you move across the country, there's no guarantee you'll be able to keep that number if you initiate service with another carrier. So in a sense, area codes are "supposed" to be meaningful (even if that's not so true today).
Or how about com/ycombinator/news?