As glorious as the Mother Road can be in her rural wind through the Prairie State, it is for the towns and cities that she serves that she exists. Even
when she bypasses them. Listed below are many of the major communities along Route 66 in Illinois traveling from Chicago south to the Missouri border and the Saint Louis city limit. Included are population (either 2000 US Census or special census for some larger communities) and current numbered highways shared by Historic 66.
Cook County |
 |
Chicago |
2,833,321 |
|
| |
Cicero |
85,616 |
|
| |
Berwyn |
54,016 |
|
| |
Lyons |
10,255 |
|
Plainfield Alignment (1940 - 1956) (I-55 1956 - 1977) |
Will County |
| |
Bolingbrook |
69,662 |
|
| |
Plainfield |
30,314 |
|
| |
Shorewood |
7686 |
|
|
Joliet Alignment (Main 1926 - 1940, Bypass 1940 - 1977) |
Will County
|
| |
Romeoville |
21,153 |
|
| |
Joliet |
145,800 |
|
| |
Elwood |
1620 |
|
 |
Wilmington |
5134 |
|
|
Carlinville Alignment (1926 - 1930) |
| |
Chatham |
10,260 |
 |
| |
Auburn |
4317 |
|
| |
Thayer |
750 |
|
Macoupin County |
| |
Virden |
3488 |
|
| |
Girard |
2245 |
|
| |
Nilwood |
284 |
|
| |
Carlinville |
5685 |
|
| |
East Gillespie |
234 |
|
| |
Gillespie |
3412 |
|
| |
Benld |
1541 |
|
| |
Sawyerville |
295 |
|
|
Litchfield Alignment (1930 - 1977) |
| |
Glenarm |
Uninc. |
|
| |
Divernon |
1201 |
|
Montgomery County |
 |
|
768 |
|
 |
|
245 |
|
 |
|
6815 |
|
Macoupin County |
 |
|
2150 |
|
|
Route 66 (1926 - 1977) |
| |
Staunton |
5030 |
|
Madison County |
 |
Livingston (four-lane only) |
825 |
|
 |
|
570 |
|
|
Chain of Rocks Alignment |
| |
Edwardsville |
24,047 |
|
 |
|
Uninc. |
|
Missouri State Line |
Independent City of Saint Louis |
 |
|
353,837 |
|
| |
|
|
|
Original 1926 Downtown Alignment |
| |
Granite City |
31,301 |
|
| |
Madison |
4545 |
|
| |
Venice |
2528 |
|
|
I-55 Alignment |
| |
Troy |
8524 |
|
| |
Collinsville |
24,707 |
|
Saint Clair County |
| |
East Saint Louis |
31,524 |
|
Missouri State Line |
Independent City of Saint Louis |
 |
|
353,837 |
  |
|
