Route 66, the ‘Main Street of America,’ Turns 100
People take pictures with an End of the Trail sign for Historic US Route 66 at the Santa Monica Pier on the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, California on July 28, 2026. The historic Route 66 highway celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2026 connecting Chicago, Illinois to Southern California over 2,400 miles. (Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)
Airdate: Wednesday, November 11, 2026 at 10 am
TKRoute 66, known as the “Main Street of America,” celebrates its 100th birthday on Wednesday. The highway, which begins in Chicago and ends at the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, is famous as an early route of westward migration, and as a quintessential road-trip highway. In the 1980s, however, the interstate highway system bypassed Route 66, and today road-trippers must string together countless two-lane roads to follow its entire length. Immortalized by Nat King Cole’s “Get Your Kicks on Route 66,” John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath,” and Pixar’s “Cars,” we’ll talk about the enduring power of the “Mother Road.”
Guests:
- Davia Nelson, radio producer, The Kitchen Sisters – co-produced the ‘Mother Road,’ an audio documentary about Route 66
- Nikki Silvam, radio producer, The Kitchen Sisters – co-produced the ‘Mother Road,’ an audio documentary about Route 66
- Christopher Reynolds, staff writer, Los Angeles Times