Why is Route 66 so famous?

Route 66, also known as the Will Rogers Highway, the Main Street of America or the Mother Road, was one of the original highways in the U.S. Highway System.

Established on November 11, 1926, Route 66 had road signs erected the following year.

Route 66, which became one of the most famous roads in the United States, originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before terminating in Santa Monica in Los Angeles County, California, covering a total of 2,448 miles (3,940 km).

Route 66 was so famous because it reduced the distance between Chicago and Los Angeles by more than 200 miles, making the route very popular among thousands of motorists who drove west in subsequent decades.

Route 66 was recognized in popular culture by both the 1946 hit song “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66” and the Route 66 television series, which aired on CBS from 1960 to 1964.

Route 66 symbolized escape and loss in John Steinbeck’s classic American novel, The Grapes of Wrath (1939).

Route 66 served as a primary route for those who migrated west, especially during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and the road supported the economies of the communities through which it passed.

Route 66 underwent many improvements and realignments over its lifetime.

However, Route 66 was officially removed from the United States Highway System in 1985 after it had been replaced in its entirety by segments of the Interstate Highway System.