985 Area Code: Location, Cities, History & How to Get One

The 985 area code is the telephone identity of southeastern Louisiana beyond the heart of New Orleans — a region that runs from the working bayous of the Gulf Coast to the pine-shaded suburbs north of Lake Pontchartrain. It covers two very different worlds joined by one prefix: the oil, seafood, and sugarcane country around Houma and Thibodaux, and the fast-growing "Northshore" communities of Slidell, Covington, and Mandeville, along with the university town of Hammond. It is the home of Port Fourchon — the service hub for more than 90% of America's deepwater Gulf oil production — and of some of the most productive shrimp and oyster waters in the country.

Unlike many U.S. area codes, 985 has no overlay and is not running out of numbers, which is why it remains one of the few regions where you can still dial just seven digits for a local call. Whether you want to know who is calling you from a 985 number, plan to serve the southeastern Louisiana market, or simply want a local number to stay connected to family on the bayou, this guide covers everything — its location, history, cities, economy, culture, dialing rules, and exactly how to get a 985 number from anywhere in the world.

What Is the 985 Area Code?

The 985 area code is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) that serves southeastern Louisiana, excluding the inner ring of the New Orleans metro area, which is served by the 504 and other Louisiana area codes. It forms a broad arc around greater New Orleans — sweeping west and south into the bayou parishes, and north across Lake Pontchartrain into the suburban Northshore.

The entire 985 area code location sits within the Central Time Zone (CT) — Central Standard Time (CST, UTC−6) in winter and Central Daylight Time (CDT, UTC−5) during daylight saving time. Roughly 900,000 to one million people live within the 985 region, spread across about a dozen parishes — making it one of Louisiana's most populous numbering plan areas outside the immediate New Orleans core.

985 Area Code Quick Facts

The History of Area Code 985

The story of the 985 area code is the story of how telephone demand in the New Orleans region outgrew a single prefix — and how the bayou country and the Northshore got a phone identity of their own.

1947 — Louisiana Gets Area Code 504

When AT&T and the Bell System created the North American Numbering Plan in 1947, the New Orleans region and much of southern Louisiana were assigned area code 504. For more than half a century, a single code covered New Orleans, its suburbs, the Northshore, and the bayou parishes all the way down to the coast.

2001 — Area Code 985 Splits from 504

By the late 1990s, the explosive growth of cell phones, pagers, fax machines, and dial-up internet had pushed the 504 numbering pool toward exhaustion. To relieve the pressure, regulators split the region. On February 12, 2001, area code 985 was placed into service, taking over the outer parishes of southeastern Louisiana — the bayou region to the south and west, and the Northshore to the north — while 504 was retained for New Orleans and its immediate suburbs.

2007–2008 — Lower Plaquemines Returns to 504

The original 985 boundary included several communities in lower Plaquemines Parish, on both banks of the Mississippi River near the Gulf. In a boundary adjustment, these communities — Pointe à la Hache on the east bank and Port Sulphur, Buras, and Boothville on the west bank — were moved back to area code 504. Permissive dialing began July 29, 2007, and the change became mandatory on July 1, 2008, settling 985 into the footprint it holds today.

Today — A Stable Code With Room to Grow

Unlike its northern Louisiana neighbor — the 318 area code, which received the new 457 overlay and mandatory 10-digit dialing in 2025 — the 985 region still has plenty of available numbers. As a result, 985 has no overlay and remains one of fewer than 71 U.S. area codes that still permit 7-digit local dialing.

Complete 985 Area Code Timeline

Cities & Parishes Covered by the 985 Area Code

The 985 area code is best understood as three distinct sub-regions, each with its own character, economy, and culture, all sharing the same prefix.

1. Bayou Country — Houma & Thibodaux

South and west of New Orleans, the bayou parishes of Terrebonne and Lafourche form the heart of Cajun Louisiana. Houma is the largest city in the 985 area code and the commercial center of the offshore oil and seafood industries. Thibodaux, home to Nicholls State University, anchors Lafourche Parish, while Morgan City sits at the edge of the region where the Atchafalaya River meets the Gulf.

2. The Northshore — St. Tammany Parish

North of Lake Pontchartrain — reached from New Orleans by the 24-mile Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, one of the longest continuous bridges over water in the world — St. Tammany Parish is one of the fastest-growing parishes in Louisiana. Its population has surged past 277,000, making it the fourth-most populous parish in the state. Slidell, Covington, Mandeville, and Madisonville are prized bedroom communities for families commuting to greater New Orleans.

3. Tangipahoa & Washington — Hammond and Beyond

To the northwest, Hammond in Tangipahoa Parish is a logistics crossroads where Interstates 12 and 55 meet, and home to Southeastern Louisiana University, the third-largest university in the state. Nearby Ponchatoula calls itself the "Strawberry Capital of the World," while Bogalusa in Washington Parish carries a long timber and paper-mill heritage.

Major Cities in the 985 Area Code

Key Parishes in the 985 Area Code

Neighboring Area Codes

The Economy Behind the 985 Area Code

The economy of the 985 area code is unusually diverse for its size, built on four pillars: offshore energy, commercial seafood, agriculture, and higher education — with a fast-growing services and healthcare base on the Northshore.

Offshore Energy & Port Fourchon

At the southern tip of Lafourche Parish sits Port Fourchon, the land base that services more than 90% of all deepwater oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico. Combined with the nearby Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) — the only U.S. port capable of offloading the largest supertankers — the bayou region is one of the most important energy corridors in the country. Houma is the onshore command center for this industry, packed with fabrication yards, supply-boat operators, helicopter services, and oilfield engineering firms.

Commercial Seafood & Fishing

Louisiana is one of the top seafood-producing states in the nation, and the waters of Terrebonne and Lafourche are at the center of it. The 985 region lands enormous volumes of shrimp, oysters, blue crab, and finfish, supporting a network of docks, processors, and family fishing operations whose roots stretch back generations. Morgan City's annual Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival captures the region's two defining industries in a single celebration.

Agriculture, Logistics & the Northshore Economy

Inland, sugarcane dominates the bayou parishes, while Tangipahoa is famous for strawberries and dairy. Hammond's position at the junction of I-12 and I-55 has made it a regional logistics and distribution hub. On the Northshore, St. Tammany Parish has built a thriving economy around healthcare, professional services, retail, and tourism, fueled by decades of rapid population growth.

Higher Education

The 985 region is home to two major public universities: Nicholls State University in Thibodaux — known for its Chef John Folse Culinary Institute — and Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, the third-largest university in the state. Together they bring tens of thousands of students, faculty, and staff into the region each year.

Key Industries in the 985 Region

985 Culture: Cajun Country, the Bayou & Mardi Gras

Few telephone regions in America carry as distinct a cultural identity as the 985 area code. The bayou parishes are the living heart of Cajun Louisiana — a culture born of French-speaking Acadian settlers, the Indigenous United Houma Nation, and generations of fishing and farming families who built a way of life along the slow brown water of Bayou Lafourche.

This is a land of Cajun and zydeco music, swamp tours, fais do-do dances, and some of the best food in the country — gumbo, jambalaya, crawfish étouffée, boiled shrimp, and char-grilled oysters. Mardi Gras is celebrated with full local flavor far beyond New Orleans: Houma, Thibodaux, Slidell, Covington, and Mandeville all host their own parades and krewes, often more family-friendly than the crowds of Bourbon Street. On the Northshore, the culture shifts toward historic small-town main streets, lakefront living, art walks, and outdoor recreation along the Tammany Trace and the Bogue Chitto and Tchefuncte rivers.

Does the 985 Area Code Still Use 7-Digit Dialing?

Yes — and this is one of the things that makes 985 unusual. Most of the United States has moved to mandatory 10-digit dialing, either because of overlays or because of the nationwide 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline transition. But the 985 area code is one of fewer than 71 area codes in the country that still permits 7-digit local dialing.

The reason is simple: 985 is not in jeopardy of running out of numbers, so no overlay has been needed, and no relief planning is currently underway. Within the 985 region you can still pick up the phone and dial just the seven-digit local number. That said, dialing all ten digits — 985 + the seven-digit number — always works, and saving contacts in full 10-digit format is the safer, future-proof habit. If an overlay is ever introduced, 10-digit dialing would become mandatory, exactly as it did in the 318 region.

Virtual Phone Number vs. Traditional Landline

If you need a 985 area code phone number, you have two main options: a traditional landline or carrier number, or a cloud-based virtual phone number. For most businesses and individuals today — especially anyone operating outside Louisiana who needs a local 985 presence — a virtual number offers clear advantages.

Why Your Business Needs a 985 Area Code Number

A 985 area code number is a powerful asset for any business that wants to serve southeastern Louisiana — the bayou parishes, the Northshore, or the I-12/I-55 corridor. Here is why:

• Local credibility with close to a million people: The 985 region is home to roughly 900,000 to one million residents who value community ties. A local 985 number signals that you are part of their world — not a distant, anonymous call center.
• Higher call-answer rates: People are far more likely to answer a call from a familiar local area code than from a toll-free or out-of-state number. In a tight-knit region like southeastern Louisiana, that local-number advantage is especially strong.
• Reach the offshore energy supply chain: Houma, Thibodaux, and Port Fourchon anchor a massive offshore oil and gas economy. Service firms, logistics providers, and contractors all benefit from a recognizable local 985 number.
• Tap the fast-growing Northshore: St. Tammany is one of the fastest-growing parishes in Louisiana. A 985 number is the right local identity for contractors, real estate professionals, healthcare providers, and retailers targeting this affluent, expanding market.
• Connect with two university communities: Nicholls State in Thibodaux and Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond bring tens of thousands of students and staff who respond best to a local number.
• Run it from anywhere: With a virtual 985 number, a business in Houston, New York, or overseas can field southeastern Louisiana calls as if it were based right on the bayou — much like pairing it with a 214 area code number for a Dallas presence.

How to Get a 985 Area Code Number

Getting a 985 area code phone number through Callmama takes just a few minutes and requires no physical presence in Louisiana. Follow these steps:

1. Download the Callmama app — available for iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play), or access it through your web browser.
2. Create your account — sign up with your email address and complete a quick verification. No Louisiana address is required.
3. Search for a 985 number — open the number search tool, filter by area code 985, and browse the available numbers. Look for a memorable pattern if you want one.
4. Choose your plan — select a subscription that matches your call volume and the features you need.
5. Activate and configure — set up call forwarding to your existing mobile or landline, configure voicemail, and add team members if needed.
6. Start calling and texting — your 985 number goes live immediately and works on any smartphone, tablet, or computer.

Features of Your 985 Virtual Number

• Call forwarding — route incoming calls to any device or number
• Voicemail to email — receive voicemail transcripts and audio by email
• SMS / text messaging — send and receive texts from your 985 number
• IVR / auto-attendant — professional call menus for businesses
• Call recording — record calls for compliance or quality assurance
• International calling — competitive rates to call anywhere in the world
• Multiple devices — use your 985 number on phone, laptop, and tablet at once
• Number portability — bring an existing number to Callmama, or keep your new 985 number if you ever switch

How to Dial a 985 Area Code Number

Because the 985 area code has no overlay, local calls within the region can still be dialed with seven digits — though full 10-digit dialing always works and is the recommended habit. Here is how dialing works depending on where you are calling from:

Tip: Even though 7-digit dialing still works locally, save all of your contacts in full 10-digit format (985 + number). If an overlay is ever introduced, your saved numbers will keep working without any changes.

Is the 985 Area Code a Scam?

The 985 area code is a legitimate geographic area code serving southeastern Louisiana. The vast majority of 985 calls come from real people and businesses in Houma, Thibodaux, Hammond, Slidell, and the surrounding communities. However, like any area code, 985 can be spoofed — scammers use technology to make their calls appear to originate from a local 985 number even when they are calling from another state or country. This "neighbor spoofing" trick is designed to make you more likely to pick up.

Common 985 Area Code Scams

How to Protect Yourself

• Never act on urgency alone. Scammers manufacture pressure so you cannot think clearly. Legitimate callers will always let you verify their identity and call back.
• Do not trust caller ID. Spoofing makes any number appear on your screen. A 985 number does not guarantee the caller is actually in Louisiana.
• Hang up and call the official number. If someone claims to be from the IRS, Social Security, your bank, or a utility, hang up and call the number on the official website or your billing statement.
• Report scam calls. File a report with the FTC and with the Louisiana Attorney General's office. Your report helps protect others in the 985 community.
• Use call-blocking tools. Services like Hiya and Nomorobo, along with your carrier's built-in spam protection, can flag or block known scam numbers before your phone even rings.

Conclusion

The 985 area code is the phone identity of one of the most distinctive corners of America — a southeastern Louisiana region where the offshore energy industry, world-class seafood, sugarcane fields, and deep Cajun culture of the bayou meet the fast-growing, family-friendly suburbs of the Northshore. From Port Fourchon's role in powering the nation to the strawberry fields of Ponchatoula and the university towns of Thibodaux and Hammond, the 985 region carries a story far larger than its boundaries.

It is also a rare, stable area code: no overlay, no number shortage, and 7-digit dialing still on the table. For businesses, a 985 area code virtual number from Callmama delivers instant local credibility across this entire market — with no Louisiana address required. Setup takes minutes, every professional calling feature is included, and your number works anywhere in the world. Whether you are building a business on the bayou or simply staying close to the people who matter there, the 985 area code is ready when you are.