How 504 became New Orleans' calling card

The big picture: The 504 area code dates back to 1947, when AT&T's North American Numbering Plan assigned it to the entire state.

• It's one of the country's original area codes, along with New York City (212), D.C. (202), Atlanta (404) and Chicago (312).
• Area codes were designed for rotary phones, TelecomRouting.com says. High call-volume cities like New York and D.C. got the combos that were quickest to dial.
• The original 86 area codes either had a 0 or 1 as their middle digit.

By the numbers: As demand for phone numbers grew, Louisiana was split into additional area codes.

• 318 was added in 1957 and now serves North Louisiana.
• 225 debuted in 1998 for the Baton Rouge area.
• 337 followed in 1999 for Lafayette, Lake Charles and Acadiana.
• 985 was added in 2001 for the North Shore and southeast Louisiana outside New Orleans.
• 457 is the newest area code. It was added in 2025 as another option in Shreveport, Monroe and elsewhere in North Louisiana.

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