U.S. Route 66 (
US 66 or
Route 66), also known as the
Will Rogers Highway and colloquially known as the
Main Street of America or the
Mother Road, was one of the original highways within the
U.S. Highway System. Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The highway, which became one of the most famous roads in America, originally ran from
Chicago,
Illinois, through
Missouri,
Kansas,
Oklahoma,
Texas,
New Mexico, and
Arizona before ending at
Santa Monica,
California, covering a total of . It was recognized in popular culture by both the hit song "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" and the
Route 66 television show in the 1960s.