Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ, NASDAQ: VZ) is a global broadband and telecommunications company and a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It started in 1983 as Bell Atlantic (based in Philadelphia) with a footprint covering New Jersey to Virginia and NYNEX (based in New York City) with a footprint spanning from New York to Maine that emerged as part of the 1984 AT&T; breakup into seven "Baby Bells." Prior to its transformation into Verizon, a result of the Bell Atlantic–GTE merger, Bell Atlantic merged with Regional Bell Operating Company, NYNEX, in 1997. The name Verizon is a portmanteau of veritas and horizon, and its pronunciation rhymes with horizon. The company's headquarters are located in the Verizon Building at 140 West Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City.
Verizon was founded as Bell Atlantic Corporation. It was one of the seven Baby Bells that were formed due to an anti-trust judgment against AT&T; Co. Bell Atlantic then inherited seven of the Bell...