Residents in West Virginia will soon have to make long-distance calls in their own state for the first time in 61 years.

It took a long time but now its official. Northern and eastern counties in West Virginia will be getting a new area code.

The current area code, 304, has been in use for a long time but a changing society created a need for a new one.

Wednesday, the State Public Service Commission voted to change the area code for 28 counties in the state. Residents in Franklin, such as Jennifer Willis, say they're surprised.

She says, "Well, that's going to mean a lot of work. All the phone books are going to have to be changed. Everyones' memory will need to be reprogrammed. Why are they doing it?"

The state says the number of cell phones, fax machines and other devices that use phone numbers have taken up too many of the available numbers under the 304 area code.

While there is no word yet on what the new area code will be, it is expected to take effect sometime next year.