337 Area Code – Lafayette, Louisiana: Location, Time Zone & History

Acadiana, the francophone cultural region of southern Louisiana, lends its identity to the territory served by area code 337. Lafayette sits at its center, with Lake Charles, New Iberia, Opelousas, Crowley and Abbeville rounding out the numbering plan area, home to roughly 1.16 million people. The code was carved out of area code 318 on October 11, 1999, as that older code approached exhaustion, giving southwestern Louisiana its own dedicated number supply for the first time.

Zydeco and Cajun music traditions remain closely associated with Lafayette and the surrounding parishes, reflecting the area's Cajun and Creole heritage. Economically, the region has long depended on oil and gas services and petrochemical processing, complemented by agriculture, particularly rice and crawfish farming, as well as healthcare and a tourism and hospitality sector drawn in part to the area's distinct culture.

No further split has affected 337's territory since its creation, though ten-digit local dialing became mandatory there in 2021, ahead of the nationwide rollout of 988 as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number.