Route 66 (Highway 66) is one of the earliest highways in the United States, with a total length of 3,940 kilometers. This road was officially removed from the United States Highway System in 1985. How much do you know about this road?

If you want to select the most famous road in the United States, Highway 66 is the most likely to get this title. This highway, known as the "Mother Road" and "American Main Street", not only has beautiful scenery along the way but also has a long history.

Route 66 has transcended its physical existence to become a cultural icon deeply ingrained in the American consciousness. Despite the original Route 66 no longer existing as a continuous stretch of road, having been dismantled and replaced by various new highways, its significance remains unparalleled in the hearts and minds of Americans.

Completed on November 11, 1926, Route 66 spanned from Chicago, the nation's third-largest city, to Los Angeles, its second-largest, traversing eight states along its approximately 3,940-kilometer route. Even if you're constantly driving, it takes more than 30 hours to cross the road. Initially, it was just an ordinary member of the American highway system. But in the year of its completion, several important historical events that happened in the United States made it a legendary road.

At the end of the 19th century, Highway 66 was even a road that rarely passed. In 1926, the U.S. government's investment connected the intermittent road, and it took more than ten years to complete. During this period, it coincided with the economic depression of the Western world. This construction project provided tens of thousands of jobs in the United States during the difficult period and became a life-saving straw for many workers to maintain their livelihood.

In the 1960s, the more efficient state highway was spread out throughout the United States. The original highway system represented by Highway 66 gradually lost its value as the highway itself. Once, there were thousands of vehicles passed every day, and now there are only dozens of vehicles that pass a day. Since Highway 66 was removed from the highway map, sometimes the cars passing on the road did not even more than 10 vehicles.

The towns along the way were depressed, and the shops were closed one by one, which made the scene of Highway 66 more desolate. However, no matter how time changes the culture and spiritual value of Highway 66, it has already been deeply integrated into people's hearts to become an irreplaceable and classic road.

Highway 66 is a legendary road that is steeped in strong American history and culture. It holds immense cultural value as a major traffic artery, connecting small towns and communities and bringing economic growth to the region. Over several generations, Americans have traveled through this road, making their way west in search of a better life. In this sense, the highway is not only a historic landmark, but also a symbol of American toughness and resilience.

While Highway 66 may no longer be the most expedient route to the western region, its enduring legacy lies in its ability to evoke nostalgia and reflection on the past. Traveling along this historic highway harkens back to a time when the journey itself held greater significance than merely reaching the destination.