The number 602 is the area code spanning the entire City of Phoenix. This year Mayor Kate Gallego announced on Instagram that June 2, 2024, would mark “6/02 Day” and celebrate the Phoenix area code and all who reside in it.
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Phoenix businesses such as the Arizona Science Center, The Phoenix Children Museum, Fair Trade Cafe, and Red Velvet Bakery all offered products and entry fees for $6.02.
Phoenix natives and newcomers alike gathered downtown to celebrate and find refuge from the heat.
The Moxy Hotel in downtown Phoenix offered flash tattoos and cocktails with themes of citrus and prickly pear to celebrate the tastes of the Southwest. Primos Ink, a family-owned and operated tattoo shop, offered Arizona and Phoenix-themed tattoos for $60.20 to stay on theme. The designs featured outlines of Arizona, local wildlife, “602” in various fonts, and landscape prints offered in red ink to capture the rocks that make the Arizona landscape one worthy of wearing.
Liliana Caughman, a tattoo recipient and native Californian, moved to Phoenix after many friends encouraged them to move. Caughman is a professor of American Indian Studies and Sustainability at Arizona State University. She has lived on many different parts of the West Coast but was drawn to Phoenix for the food and culture, as well as her work.
“The indigenous people of Phoenix are still the stewards of this land and celebrating it is beautiful,” Caughman says.
She explained that she has enjoyed “surprises” with food, culture, and language but hopes to see better public transportation in the future as a major drawback in the City’s sustainability efforts.
Caughman’s father, Jorge Caughman moved shortly after she did as he enjoys the heat and culinary experiences that Phoenix has to offer.
Caughman was a professor of culinary arts and sustainable practices in Monterey California. He added that he saw Phoenix as an example of culture and sustainability even though there is still more work to be done.
“That Southwestern culture and the food that you find out here you can’t find anywhere else, but that also doesn’t mean we can’t work at being more sustainable,” Caughman says.
David Garcia, co-owner of Primos Ink, is originally from Fresno, California. However, he says that he loves Phoenix for its growth and hopes to see his business and community continue to thrive.
“There’s always something to do or something going on and in the ten years that I’ve been here it has grown so much,” he said.
But Phoenix isn’t the only city that celebrates using its area code. The tradition began in Milwaukee in 2010 after a man had posted on social media that he noticed the coincidence between the date of 4/14 and Milwaukee’s area code. The post went viral and the city decided to use it to promote and increase tourism in competition with Chicago.
Montana, a state with only 1 million people, holds the 406 area code for the entire state. While April 6 has yet to be declared a statewide holiday, Montanans use the day to recognize the pride and admiration they have for their state. Additionally, “406” is the name of an apparel store in the state’s capital and is used in many small business names and state-specific branding.
City and state alike, celebrating homeland is part of almost every community and can bring people closer together, regardless of where they have come from.
“When I moved to Phoenix I had no expectations, but it has continued to surprise me with its awesomeness and I find it surprising in the best way,” Liliana Caughman said.
