At which famous American highway is Pixar’s fictional Radiator Springs located?

Pixar’s fictional Radiator Springs is located along U.S. Route 66.

In Cars, Radiator Springs is portrayed as a once-thriving desert stop that loses traffic when a faster interstate route bypasses it. That historical setup explains why the town’s businesses struggle and why its residents feel such a strong connection to the old highway.

U.S. Route 66 ran from Chicago to Santa Monica and became one of the best-known roads in the United States. It was established in 1926 and officially removed from the U.S. Highway System in 1985, although its surviving sections remain important cultural and tourism destinations.

Pixar researched real Route 66 communities while developing Cars. Several locations, buildings, and roadside features inspired elements of Radiator Springs, but the town itself is not a real Arizona municipality. The film uses the highway’s history to support its themes of memory, community, and changing technology.