In the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, U.S. Route 66

U.S. Route 66

U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...

 is a former U.S. highway. All the portions were deleted by 1964 during the 1964 renumbering.

History

U.S. Route 66 was assigned by the American Association of State Highway Officials in late 1926 and signed in 1928 by the Automobile Club of Southern California

Automobile Club of Southern California

The Automobile Club of Southern California is the Southern California affiliate of the American Automobile Association federation of motor clubs...

; however historic US 66 shields and even present day US 66 shields remain.

US 66 continued to be signed east of Pasadena

Pasadena, California

Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...

 until 1974, when it was removed, and the remaining separate section became State Route 66.

The California Historic Route 66 Association is now responsible for the preservation, restoration and promotion of historic Route 66. It is the youngest of the Route 66 Association

Route 66 Association

Route 66 Association is the generic name of the non-profit associations established for preservation, restoration and promotion of the historic U.S. Route 66...

s.

San Bernardino to the Arizona/California state line

From San Bernardino to the Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

 state line, US 66 followed the old National Old Trails Highway

National Old Trails Highway

National Old Trails Road, also known as the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, was established in 1912, and became part of the National Auto Trail system in the United States. It was long and stretched from Baltimore, Maryland , to California...

. The old highway veers significantly away from I-15 between Victorville

Victorville, California

Victorville is a city located in the Victor Valley of southwestern San Bernardino County, California. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 census, the city had a population of 115,903, up from 64,030 at the 2000 census.-Geography and climate:...

 and Barstow passing through Oro Grande

Oro Grande, California

Oro Grande is an unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, United States. It lies on the city boundary of Victorville and Adelanto. It is at elevation in Victor Valley north of the San Bernardino mountain range. It is located on old Route 66 near...

, Helendale

Helendale, California

Helendale is an unincorporated community located in San Bernardino County, California, on historic Route 66 west of the Mojave Freeway, between Barstow and Victorville, in the Victor Valley. It includes the Helendale resort community of Silver Lakes.-History:...

, and Lenwood

Lenwood, California

Lenwood is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 3,543 at the 2010 census, up from 3,222 at the 2000 census...

. Through Barstow, it is Main Street. A Marine Corps base is on top of the original highway and is impassable. From Daggett

Daggett, California

Daggett is an unincorporated town located in San Bernardino County, California in the United States. The town is located on Interstate 40 ten miles East of Barstow. The town has a population of about 200. The ZIP code is 92327 and the community is inside area code 760.-History:The town was...

, Historic 66 leaves I-40, crossing it three times before winding away through Bagdad

Bagdad, California

Bagdad is a ghost town in the eastern Mojave Desert, in San Bernardino County, California, United States.-Geography:Bagdad is located along the historic U.S. Route 66, east of Barstow and Ludlow, and west of Amboy and Needles...

, Amboy

Amboy, California

Amboy is an unincorporated town in San Bernardino County, in California's Mojave Desert, west of Needles and east of Ludlow on historic Route 66. It is roughly 60 miles northeast of Twentynine Palms.-Geography:...

, and Essex

Essex, California

Essex is a small unincorporated town in San Bernardino County, California. Essex lies on Old National Trails Highway - part of the old Route 66 - just south of Interstate 40 in the Mojave Desert.-History:...

.

From Essex, the original alignment followed Goffs Road through Goffs

Goffs, California

Goffs, an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California, is a nearly empty one-time railroad town at the route's high point in the Mojave Desert. Goffs was a stop along famous U.S. Route 66 prior to 1931, when a more direct route between Needles and Amboy was built...

 and joining I-40 at the U.S. Route 95

U.S. Route 95 in California

In the U.S. state of California, U.S. Route 95 traverses through the far eastern edges of both Riverside and San Bernardino counties. US 95 serves Blythe and Needles and junctions with SR 62 at Vidal Junction....

 exit. A later alignment is now I-40 from Goffs. The original highway winds around I-40 in the Needles

Needles, California

Needles is a city located in the Mojave Desert on the western banks of the Colorado River in San Bernardino County, California. It is located in the Mohave Valley, which straddles the California–Arizona border. The city is accessible via Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 95...

 area, before crossing the Colorado River

Colorado River

The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...

 into Arizona.

Route

At the time of the 1964 renumbering

1964 state highway renumbering (California)

In 1963 and 1964, the California Division of Highways implemented a major renumbering of its state highways. The majority of sign routes — those marked for the public — kept their numbers; the main changes were to the legislative routes, which had their numbers changed to match the sign routes...

, US 66 used the following route (in today's terms):

• State Route 2 — Interstate 10
  Interstate 10 in California
  Interstate 10 , the major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States, runs in the U.S. state of California east from Santa Monica, on the Pacific Ocean, through Los Angeles and San Bernardino to the border with Arizona...
  
   to U.S. Route 101 (designated SR 2 in 1964, the same number it had before 1936)
• U.S. Route 101 — State Route 2 to State Route 110
• State Route 110 — U.S. Route 101 to Colorado Boulevard (designated State Route 11 in 1964, moved from Figueroa Street
  Figueroa Street
  Figueroa Street is a street in Los Angeles County, California named for General José Figueroa , governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835, who oversaw the secularization of the missions of California...
  
  )
  • Colorado Boulevard
    Colorado Boulevard
    Colorado Boulevard is a major east–west street in Southern California, United States. It runs from Griffith Park in Los Angeles east through Glendale, the Eagle Rock section of Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Arcadia, ending in Monrovia...
    
    , Colorado Street and Colorado Place — State Route 110 (Arroyo Parkway) to Huntington Drive
  • Huntington Drive
    Huntington Drive
    Huntington Drive is a major east–west street in Southern California. It runs from the merge of Soto Street and Mission Road near the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Los Angeles east through the El Sereno section of Los Angeles, South Pasadena, San Marino, Alhambra, San Gabriel, Arcadia,...
    
     and Foothill Boulevard
    Foothill Boulevard (Southern California)
    Foothill Boulevard is a major road in the city and county of Los Angeles, as well as an arterial road in the city and county of San Bernardino, stretching well over 60 miles in length, with some notable breaks along the route...
    
     — Colorado Place to Alosta Avenue
  • Alosta Avenue — Foothill Boulevard to Amelia Avenue
  • Foothill Boulevard — Amelia Avenue to State Route 66 through Duarte to the west terminus of State Route 66 in La Verne
    La Verne, California
    La Verne is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 31,063 at the 2010 census, down from 31,638 at the 2000 census.-History:...
    
     from 1964 to ca. 1970, when I-210 was completed on new alignment).
• State Route 66 — State Route 210 in La Verne to Interstate 215 in San Bernardino
  San Bernardino, California
  San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
  
  .
• Interstate 215
  Interstate 215 (California)
  Interstate 215 is a long north–south Interstate highway in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. It is an auxiliary route of Interstate 15 , running from Murrieta to northern San Bernardino...
  
   (part of I-15 in 1964) — State Route 66 to I-15
• Interstate 15
  Interstate 15 in California
  In the U.S. state of California, Interstate 15 is a major north–south route through the San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego Counties, and it has a length of in the state. It is a major thoroughfare for traffic between Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as points beyond...
  
   — I-215 to I-40
• Interstate 40
  Interstate 40 in California
  In the U.S. state of California, Interstate 40 has its western terminus in Barstow. Known as the Needles Freeway, a major east–west route of the Interstate Highway System, it heads east from Barstow across the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County past the Clipper Mountains to Needles,...
  
   — I-15 to Arizona
  Arizona
  Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
  
  

Route 66 Communities in California

The following past and present communities are located along the Route 66 in California.

• Mojave National Preserve
  Mojave National Preserve
  Mojave National Preserve is located in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, USA, between Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. The preserve was established October 31, 1994 with the passage of the California Desert Protection Act by the US Congress...
  
  
• Needles
  Needles, California
  Needles is a city located in the Mojave Desert on the western banks of the Colorado River in San Bernardino County, California. It is located in the Mohave Valley, which straddles the California–Arizona border. The city is accessible via Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 95...
  
  
• Goffs
  Goffs, California
  Goffs, an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California, is a nearly empty one-time railroad town at the route's high point in the Mojave Desert. Goffs was a stop along famous U.S. Route 66 prior to 1931, when a more direct route between Needles and Amboy was built...
  
  
• Essex
  Essex, California
  Essex is a small unincorporated town in San Bernardino County, California. Essex lies on Old National Trails Highway - part of the old Route 66 - just south of Interstate 40 in the Mojave Desert.-History:...
  
   & Danby
• Summit
  Summit, California
  Summit is a small unincorporated community more frequently referred to by locals as the Loma Prieta Community located predominantly in Santa Cruz County, California, in the mountain ranges of the Santa Cruz Mountains. It lies at the summit along Highway 17 from which is gets its name...
  
   & Chambless
  Chambless, California
  Chambless is a ghost town in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, United States, south of Interstate 40 on the historic Route 66....
  
  
• Amboy
  Amboy, California
  Amboy is an unincorporated town in San Bernardino County, in California's Mojave Desert, west of Needles and east of Ludlow on historic Route 66. It is roughly 60 miles northeast of Twentynine Palms.-Geography:...
  
  
• Bagdad, California
  Bagdad, California
  Bagdad is a ghost town in the eastern Mojave Desert, in San Bernardino County, California, United States.-Geography:Bagdad is located along the historic U.S. Route 66, east of Barstow and Ludlow, and west of Amboy and Needles...
  
   & Siberia, California
  Siberia, California
  Siberia is a ghost town in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, United States. It lies along historic Route 66 between Bagdad and Ludlow, in the ZIP code 92357 and area code 760....
  
  
• Ludlow
  Ludlow, California
  Ludlow is a small town in the Mojave Desert on Interstate 40, located in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The older remains of the ghost town are along historic Route 66.-Geography:...
  
  
• Newberry Springs
  Newberry Springs, California
  Newberry Springs is an unincorporated area in the western Mojave Desert of Southern California, located at the foot of the Newberry Mountains in San Bernardino County, California, USA...
  
  
• Daggett
  Daggett, California
  Daggett is an unincorporated town located in San Bernardino County, California in the United States. The town is located on Interstate 40 ten miles East of Barstow. The town has a population of about 200. The ZIP code is 92327 and the community is inside area code 760.-History:The town was...
  
  
• Barstow
  Barstow, California
  Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 22,639 at the 2010 census, up from 21,119 at the 2000 census. Barstow is located north of San Bernardino....
  
  
• Lenwood
  Lenwood, California
  Lenwood is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 3,543 at the 2010 census, up from 3,222 at the 2000 census...
  
  
• Helendale
  Helendale, California
  Helendale is an unincorporated community located in San Bernardino County, California, on historic Route 66 west of the Mojave Freeway, between Barstow and Victorville, in the Victor Valley. It includes the Helendale resort community of Silver Lakes.-History:...
  
   (Silver Lakes
  Silver Lakes, California
  Silver Lakes is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California. Silver Lakes sits at an elevation of . The 2010 United States census reported Silver Lakes's population was 5,623.-Geography:...
  
  )
• Oro Grande
  Oro Grande, California
  Oro Grande is an unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, United States. It lies on the city boundary of Victorville and Adelanto. It is at elevation in Victor Valley north of the San Bernardino mountain range. It is located on old Route 66 near...
  
  
• Victorville
  Victorville, California
  Victorville is a city located in the Victor Valley of southwestern San Bernardino County, California. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 census, the city had a population of 115,903, up from 64,030 at the 2000 census.-Geography and climate:...
  
  
• Cajon Summit
• San Bernardino
  San Bernardino, California
  San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
  
  
• Rialto
  Rialto, California
  -2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Rialto had a population of 99,171. The population density was 4,434.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Rialto was 43,592 White, 16,236 African American, 1,062 Native American, 2,258 Asian, 361 Pacific Islander, 30,993 from other...
  
  
• Fontana
  Fontana, California
  Fontana is a city of 196,069 residents in San Bernardino County, California. Founded in 1913, it remained essentially rural until World War II, when entrepreneur Henry J. Kaiser built a large steel mill in the area...
  
  
• Rancho Cucamonga
  Rancho Cucamonga, California
  Rancho Cucamonga is a suburban city in San Bernardino County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,269, up from 127,743 at the 2000 census. L. Dennis Michael was elected as Mayor on November 2, 2010. Jack Lam is the City Manager...
  
  
• Upland
  Upland, California
  Upland is a city in San Bernardino County, California, located at an elevation of 1,242 feet . As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 73,732, up from 68,393 at the 2000 census. It was incorporated on May 15, 1906, after previously being named North Ontario.-History and culture:Upland...
  
  
• Claremont
  Claremont, California
  Claremont is a small affluent college town in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The population as of the 2010 census is 34,926. Claremont is known for its seven higher-education institutions, its...
  
  
• Pomona
  Pomona, California
  -2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile...
  
  
• La Verne
  La Verne, California
  La Verne is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 31,063 at the 2010 census, down from 31,638 at the 2000 census.-History:...
  
  
• San Dimas
  San Dimas, California
  San Dimas is a city located in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 33,371. The city historically took its name from San Dismas Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains above the northern section of present day San Dimas...
  
  
• Glendora
  Glendora, California
  Glendora is a municipality in Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. As of the 2010 census, the population of Glendora was 50,073....
  
  
• Azusa
  Azusa, California
  Azusa is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 46,361 at the 2010 census, up from 44,712 at the 2000 census. Though sometimes assumed to be a compaction of the phrase "everything from A to Z in the USA" from an old Jack Benny joke, the place name "Azusa"...
  
  
• Irwindale
  Irwindale, California
  Irwindale is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 1,422 at the 2010 census, down from 1,446 at the 2000 census....
  
  
• Duarte
  Duarte, California
  Duarte is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 21,321, down from 21,486 at the 2000 census....
  
  
• Monrovia
  Monrovia, California
  Monrovia is a city located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 36,590 at the 2010 census, down from 36,929 at the 2000 census...
  
  
• Arcadia
  Arcadia, California
  Arcadia is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and located approximately northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains....
  
  
• Pasadena
  Pasadena, California
  Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
  
  
• South Pasadena
  South Pasadena, California
  South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 25,619, up from 24,292 at the 2000 census. It is located in in the West San Gabriel Valley...
  
  
• Highland Park
• Los Angeles
  Los Ángeles
  Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
  
  
• Chinatown
• West Hollywood
  West Hollywood, California
  West Hollywood, a city of Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984, with a population of 34,399 at the 2010 census. 41% of the city's population is made up of gay men according to a 2002 demographic analysis by Sara Kocher Consulting for the City of West Hollywood...
  
  
• Beverly Hills
  Beverly Hills, California
  Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
  
  
• Century City
• Santa Monica
  Santa Monica, California
  Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...