Routing through Route 66

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.

Established in1926, the highway originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before ending at Santa Monica, California, covering a total of about  3,940 km.

 It was recognized in popular culture by the song "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66.
While reading up on the Route 66 I found the mention of the song in almost all articles on Route 66:

The song by Bobby Troup goes:

If you ever plan to motor west
Travel my way, the highway that's the best.
Get your kicks on Route 66!
......


Route 66 underwent many improvements and realignments over its lifetime, and it was officially removed from the United States Highway System in 1985, after it had been replaced in its entirety by the Interstate Highway System.

Route 66 doesn't appear on the maps these days. The stretch between St. Louis  and Chicago is still usable for a certain extent. The section of I-55 between Chicago and St. Louis was built as an alternate route for U.S. Highway 66.

One of the remnants of Route 66 is the highway now known as Veterans Parkway, east and south of Normal, Illinois, and Bloomington, Illinois.

During its days, Route 66 served as a major path for those who migrated west, and it supported the economies of the communities through which the road passed. People doing business along the route became prosperous due to the growing popularity of the highway, and those same people later fought to keep the highway alive.

The annual celebration of the Old Route 66 happens with displays and flea markets in some of the communities along the route.
For more on some of the celebrations in a few communities between Bloomington and Chicago, watch this space .

( Information collated from the information over the www)