Area code 504 is a

telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...

area code A telephone numbering plan is a type of numbering scheme used in telecommunication to assign telephone numbers to subscriber telephones or other telephony endpoints. Telephone numbers are the addresses of participants in a telephone network, rea ...

that covers greater

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. Besides New Orleans itself (Orleans Parish), it includes all of St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes and most of

Jefferson Parish Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...

. 504 was one of the

original area codes The original North American area codes were established by the American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T) in 1947, following the demonstration of regional Operator Toll Dialing during the World War II period. The program had the goal of speedin ...

created in 1947, and originally covered all of Louisiana. In 1957, most of the state west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

was split off as

area code 318 Area code 318 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the northern and central parts of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The area code was created in 1957 in a split of Louisiana's original area code 504. Originally ...

. In 1998, the western portion of the old 504 territory, including

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...

, became

area code 225 Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while ''surface area'' refers to the area of an open ...

. In 2001, much of southeastern Louisiana was split off as

area code 985 Area code 985 is the telephone area code for southeastern Louisiana, excluding the inner ring of the New Orleans area. The area code was created in 2001 when it was split off from area code 504. Area code 985 also used to include areas southeast ...

, to both the west and the north of 504. Several of New Orleans' downriver suburbs switched to 985 in 2001 as well. However, much of this area switched back to 504 in 2007. These communities are now being served with dialtone from telephone switching facilities in New Orleans following near-total destruction of local switching facilities due to flooding from

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

. Permissive dialing of 504 alongside 985 in this area began on July 29, 2007. Mandatory use of 504 to again reach these communities began on May 1, 2008. These communities are on both sides of the Mississippi River in lower Plaquemines Parish, including Pointe à la Hache on the east bank, with Port Sulphur, Buras, and Boothville on the west bank. Prior to October 2021, area code 504 had telephone numbers assigned for the

central office code The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) is a telephone numbering plan for twenty-five regions in twenty countries, primarily in North America and the Caribbean. This group is historically known as World Zone 1 and has the international calling ...

988. In 2020, ''988'' was designated nationwide as a dialing code for the

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) is a United States-based suicide prevention Suicide prevention is a collection of efforts to reduce the risk of suicide. Suicide is often preven ...

, which created a conflict for exchanges that permit

seven-digit dialing Seven-digit dialing is a telephone dialing procedure customary in some territories of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for dialing telephone numbers in the same numbering plan area (NPA). NANP telephone numbers consist of ten digits, of wh ...

. This area code was therefore scheduled to transition to

ten-digit dialing Ten-digit dialing is a telephone dialing procedure in the countries and territories that are members of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). It is the practice of including the area code of a telephone number when dialing to initiate a telep ...

by October 24, 2021.

Popular culture

The area code inspired the name for the local

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

504 Records 504 Records is a record label founded by Mike Dine in 1979 that specializes in New Orleans jazz. The name comes from an area code in New Orleans. History Mike Dine was a British draughtsman and jazz fan living in England when he met Tom Stagg, ...

, as well as the rap group 504 Boyz and the

Old 97's Old 97's is an American rock band from Dallas, Texas. Formed in 1992, they have since released twelve studio albums, two full extended plays, shared split duty on another, and have one live album. Their most recent release is ''Twelfth''. They ...

song "504" on ''

Hitchhike to Rhome ''Hitchhike to Rhome'' is the first studio album by American country/rock band Old 97's, first released on November 1, 1994 (see 1994 in music). The title comes from the song, "Stoned," and refers to Rhome, Texas. The lyrics make numerous ref ...

''. Rapper 504, who has heritage in New Orleans, uses this as his stage name as well. Also the area code 504 was mentioned in Drake's hit song "Practice", from his album ''Take Care''. It has also been mentioned by Lil' Wayne due to his upbringing in the 504, specifically Hollygrove.

The Soul Rebels The Soul Rebels (also Soul Rebels Brass Band, Soul Rebels or The Rebels) are an eight-piece New Orleans based brass ensemble that incorporate elements of soul, jazz, funk, hip-hop, rock and pop music within a contemporary brass band framework. ...

also have a song called "504" about their hometown on their 2012 EP, ''Unlock Your Mind''. On

Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, AB ...

on December 16, 2019,

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

quarterback

Drew Brees Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees is the NFL leader in ...

threw his 540th career touchdown pass, breaking

Peyton Manning Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with th ...

’s record for most career touchdown passes in NFL history. When Brees broke the record, announcer

Joe Tessitore Joseph William Tessitore (born January 1, 1971) is an American sportscaster for ABC and ESPN. He leads ESPN's world championship fight broadcasts as the blow-by-blow broadcaster for Top Rank Boxing on ESPN, serves as a play-by-play announcer f ...

said “540 in the 504!”, referencing the area code.

References

External links

Area Code 504 Location – AreaCodeGoldmine.com/504

{{DEFAULTSORT:Area Code 504

504 __NOTOC__ Year 504 (DIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Nicomachus without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1257 ...

Area codes in the New Orleans metropolitan area

Telecommunications-related introductions in 1947

Popular culture

See also

References

External links