Route 66, nearing its 100th anniversary, remains an enduring symbol of American freedom, migration, and roadside culture; established in 1926 and running from Chicago to Santa Monica, it became famous for carrying Dust Bowl migrants west, shaping postwar road-trip culture, and capturing imaginations with its diners, motels, neon signs, and offbeat attractions, while today communities along the route work to preserve its history and celebrate the people, businesses, and diverse cultures that made the “Main Street of America” legendary.