Area code 860 serves northern and eastern Connecticut, including cities like Hartford, New Britain, and Norwich. Established in 1995 from a split with 203, it is overlaid by 959 and now requires ten-digit dialing. The area is home to insurance companies, state government institutions, and historic colonial towns. While 203 covers southwestern Connecticut closer to New York, 860 represents the state’s political and administrative center. The code is commonly associated with traditional New England values, historic preservation, and the quieter, more suburban side of Connecticut.