About
U.S. Route 66 was one of the original US highways, established on November 11, 1926. It ran 2,448 miles (3,940 km from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California.
The iconic Route 66 shield — a beloved piece of Americana.
Route 66 at 100 — Centennial Year
2026 marks the 100th anniversary of U.S. Route 66 — commissioned November 11,,, 1926 — anda year-long birthday party is underway from Chicago to Santa Monica.
📮 USPS Forever stamps
In May 2026 the U.S. Postal Service issued a set of eight Route 66 Forever stamps — one design for each of the eight states the highway crosses — ata first-day ceremony in Phoenix.
🎨 Google celebrates
On April 30,,, 2026,Google marked the centennial with a Doodle honoring the Mother Road.
🏛️ Official centennial commission
The U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission is curating the year-long celebration — events, commemorative programs, monuments,and more — with the full calendar of centennial events running through November.
Centennial sources: USPS Newsroom, Google Doodles, U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission.
The Mother Road
Route 66 cut a diagonal path through the American heartland, crossing eight states toward the Pacific. In the Dust Bowl era, it carried westward migrants, which is how John Steinbeck came to call it "the Mother Road"in The Grapes of Wrath.
America fell for it: Bobby Troup wrote "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" in1946,and Nat King Cole made it a hit — then a 1960s TV series turned the highway into pop-culture shorthand for freedom and the open road.
Then came the Interstates. Route Highway 66 was officially decommissioned in1985 — but it refused to stay gone. States re-designated stretches as Historic Route 66,and today the National Park Service helps preserve it. Road-trippers still chase its neon — Cadillac Ranch, Wigwam Motels,and giant roadside oddities.
Quick Facts
| Established | November 11,,, 1926 (signage went up the next year) |
| Centennial | 2026 — Route 66 turns 100 (1926 → 2026 |
| Distance | About 2,448 miles (3,940 km |
| Endpoints | Chicago, Illinois → Santa Monica, California |
| States crossed | 8 (IL, MO, KS, OK, TX, NM, AZ, CA |
| Decommissioned | 1985 |
| Nickname | "The Mother Road" (Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath |
Every fact must be real + sourced - verify numbers on Wikipedia before publishing.
Test Your Mother Road Know-How
Plan the Drive
Route 66 on Screen & Sound
🎵 (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66 — Nat King Cole Trio.
Sources & Further Reading
- Wikipedia: U.S. Route 66
- Landmarks on U.S. Route 66 (Wikipedia
- "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" song (Wikipedia
- National Park Service: Route 66
- NPR:the song that put Route 66 on the map
- USPS Newsroom: Route 66 centennial stamps
- U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission (official
- Google Doodle:the Route 66 centennial