Route 66, USA

Once the main route across the United States from Chicago to Los Angeles, Route 66 is a vibrant part of American history. From the time of the Dust Bowl, when midwestern farm families headed west to the promised land of California, through the 1950s, as Americans were perfecting the “road trip,” Route 66 represented travel, freedom, and opportunity.

Encouraging travel and connecting rural communities along its 2,000 miles, Route 66 brought economic growth to small towns in the forms of diners, motels, gas stations, and attractions, whimsically designed and heavily advertised to entice travelers to pause on their journeys.

Route 66’s heavy cross-country traffic was eventually diverted onto modern interstate highways, and, as the use of Route 66 declined, its cultural landscape began to fade into the past. However, its mystique persists, and thousands of visitors crisscross the “Main Street of America” each year to experience a slice of Americana.

While the era of automobile travel that produced Route 66 remains in the past, the cultural landscape it left behind can be revitalized. Efforts to preserve this American icon are generating new tourism and economic opportunities for the many communities through which it passes.

To support these developments, in 2007, WMF announced a grant for an economic impact study of heritage tourism along Route 66. WMF, the National Park Service, and researchers from Rutgers University are now examining and quantifying the benefits of preservation, tourism, and heritage education along this historic, eight-state corridor.

This research engages local stakeholders—public officials, business owners, and residents—and will galvanize public and private investment in Route 66, ensuring the continuing stewardship and long-term sustainability of the “mother road.”

Another component of the project is the creation of an online travel guide to Route 66. Part of the National Park Service’s Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary Series, it will feature dozens of sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and serve as a planning tool, a history lesson, and a reminder of the ongoing needs of heritage sites such as Route 66.

Route 66 is part of WMF's Sustainable Tourism initiative. View slideshow.

Route 66 is on the 2008 World Monuments Watch list of 100 Most Endangered Sites.

This project is part of the Partners in Preservation initiative, which focuses on preserving historic sites for future generations to enjoy.

Actress Jeanne Tripplehorn is WMF’s new spokesperson.