Route 66 Turns 100 Today

On November 11, 1926, the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) formally adopted the U.S. Highway Numbering System, officially creating U.S. Route 66. While the proposal for the double-digit number “66” had been submitted earlier that year by highway promoters Cyrus Avery and John Woodruff, November 11 is the date the route map and designation were federally signed into law.

The Birth of the Mother Road (1920s–1930s)

Before Route 66, long-distance driving across the United States meant navigating a patchwork of unpaved dirt trails and localized auto trails. Route 66 bridged that gap by linking existing regional roads into a continuous 2,448-mile ribbon connecting Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California.

• The Dust Bowl Exodus: During the 1930s Great Depression and Dust Bowl, Route 66 became the primary escape corridor for hundreds of thousands of displaced farm families migrating west to California. This journey was immortalized by John Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath, where he famously dubbed it “The Mother Road.”

• Paving the Way: By 1938, Route 66 achieved a major infrastructure milestone, becoming the first completely paved transcontinental highway in the U.S.

Post-War Boom and Pop Culture (1940s–1960s)

After World War II, growing automobile ownership transformed Route 66 from a utility highway into the ultimate American road-trip destination.

• Roadside Americana: A distinct highway culture emerged along the route, lined with neon-lit motels, drive-in diners, frozen custard stands, and giant concrete roadside attractions designed to catch the eye of motorists.

• Cultural Legacy: The highway inspired Bobby Troup’s classic 1946 song “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66″—recorded by Nat King Cole—as well as a hit 1960s television series, sealing its place in global pop culture.

Decline, Preservation, and Today (1970s–Present)

The demise of Route 66 began with the passage of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, which initiated the Interstate Highway System. Faster, wider interstates gradually bypassed the small towns along Route 66.

Today, roughly 85% of the original road remains drivable. As communities along the route celebrate 100 years of the Mother Road, Route 66 lives on as an enduring symbol of freedom, exploration, and the open road.