Route 66 Celebrates 100 Years as Iconic American Road Trip

The historic highway continues to draw visitors from around the world to its kitschy attractions and culinary offerings.

Apr. 8, 2026 at 2:22pm

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Route 66, the legendary highway that runs from Chicago to Los Angeles, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Despite losing its status as a major national artery decades ago, the road remains a quintessential American road trip, drawing visitors from around the world to experience its neon lights, kitschy motels and roadside attractions, and diverse culinary offerings. The highway has a rich history, serving as a path of hope for Dust Bowl migrants, a vital transportation route during World War II, and a popular vacation destination during the postwar boom of the 1940s and 1950s.

Why it matters

Route 66 has become an essential part of American culture and history, with its influence and character woven into the country's identity. The highway's story encompasses themes of migration, entrepreneurship, segregation, and the preservation of local communities, making it a unique lens through which to view the evolution of the American experience over the past century.

The details

Route 66 was stitched together from a collection of Native American trading routes and old dirt roads, with the goal of linking the industrial Midwest to the Pacific coast. Businessman Cyrus Avery, known as the 'Father of Route 66,' saw the highway as a way to connect rural America and create new pockets of commerce. The road became a path of hope for migrants escaping the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, and was used to move troops, equipment, and workers during World War II. The postwar boom of the 1940s and 1950s were Route 66's heyday, as it became a popular vacation route and entrepreneurs dreamed up ways to attract motorists.

  • Route 66 was designated as one of the nation's original numbered highways in November 1926.
  • The road reached its peak during the postwar boom of the 1940s and 1950s.
  • Route 66 was decommissioned as a federal highway in 1985.

The players

Cyrus Avery

An Oklahoma businessman known as the 'Father of Route 66', who saw the highway as a way to connect rural America and create new pockets of commerce.

John Steinbeck

The author who referred to Route 66 as the 'Mother Road' that led poor farmers from Dust Bowl desperation to sunny California.

Angel Delgadillo

A barber who lobbied the Arizona Legislature to designate Route 66 as a historic highway, helping to save the town of Seligman from becoming a ghost town and setting the bar for preservation efforts elsewhere along the route.

Sebastiaan de Boorder

A Dutch entrepreneur who, with his wife, breathed new life into The Aztec Motel in Seligman, Arizona.

Edward Threatt

Whose grandparents opened the Threatt Filling Station near the central Oklahoma community of Luther, which served as a safe haven for Black travelers during the Jim Crow era.

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What they’re saying

“It's an essential part of American culture and history. The historical aspect is just a very big important part of American culture, with its influence and its character.”

— Sebastiaan de Boorder, Dutch entrepreneur

“People generally have a sense of adventure, a sense curiosity. And you can find that on Route 66. This is the road of dreams.”

— Jim Hinckley, author and historian

“The road wouldn't be alive without the stories of all the places along it that kept it going from town to town. We just survive off each other. The road feeds us, and as long as we put our feelings and love back into the road, it will reverberate with the travelers and the stories of the people.”

— Josh Waldmire, third-generation owner of the Cozy Dog Drive In

“Especially for long-distance travel, segregation was a fact of life. And so Black motorists needed to know a safe place to go.”

— Matthew Pearce, state historian for the Oklahoma Historical Society

“By and large, the Black traveler didn't get a lot of kicks on Route 66. And if they got some kicks, it wasn't the kind you would think of.”

— Edward Threatt

What’s next

More than 250 of Route 66's buildings, districts and road segments are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and preservation efforts continue to keep the iconic highway's legacy alive for future generations of travelers.

The takeaway

Route 66 has transcended its original purpose as a transportation route, becoming a symbol of the American spirit of adventure, entrepreneurship, and the preservation of local culture. As the highway celebrates its centennial, it remains a powerful draw for visitors seeking to experience the quintessential American road trip and connect with the country's rich history.