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Route 66
The "Mother Road" from Chicago to the Pacific
U.S. Route 66 ran about 2,448 miles (3,940 km) from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, one of the original highways of the U.S. numbered system when it was commissioned in 1926. The "Mother Road" carried Dust Bowl migrants west in the 1930s and became a symbol of American car-culture freedom, lined with motels, diners, and neon.
Bypassed piece by piece by the Interstate system, Route 66 was officially decommissioned in 1985, but long stretches survive as "Historic Route 66," preserved and celebrated as a nostalgic road-trip pilgrimage across eight states.