Chicago: Start of Route 66

History buffs will delight in learning that Historic Route 66, America's most fabled highway, actually begins in Chicago at the corner of Jackson Boulevard and Michigan Avenue.

Due to its traversing path through the country's small towns across the Midwest and Southwest, the 2,400 mile roadway running from Chicago to Los Angeles has been widely regarded to as both America's "Mother Road" and its "Main Street."

Back in the late 1920s, the Historic Route 66's starting point was intentionally created in Chicago for, at that time, it marked the point of origin for large quantities of goods being shipped to California.

During the Great Depression and after World War II, in the aims of escaping the trappings of the Industrialized East Coast, thousands of travelers made their way westward along Route 66.

Throughout the 1950s and well into the 1960s and 1970s, the old Route 66 was bypassed section by section as high-speed interstate highways superseded more rural routes. In 1984, after the last stretch of the new highway system was built, Route 66 was deemed
non-operable and, as such, the old route was renamed as Historic Route 66.

Still to this day, Historic Route 66 remains an iconic piece of American history and Chicago, serving as its starting point, plays an important role in the cultural legacy.