Los Angeles was the original western terminus of U.S. Route 66 before the 1935 extension to Santa Monica.
When Route 66 was established in 1926, its western end was in downtown Los Angeles at Seventh Street and Broadway. The highway then continued westward to the Pacific coast only after a later extension.
In 1935, Route 66 was extended to Santa Monica. The Santa Monica alignment began near Lincoln and Olympic boulevards and continued along Santa Monica Boulevard toward Los Angeles. This change helped give the highway its enduring association with Southern California beaches and the Pacific Ocean.
A common mix-up is treating Santa Monica as the original endpoint. Santa Monica was the later western terminus, while Los Angeles was the endpoint during Route 66’s initial configuration. The route was officially removed from the U.S. Highway System in 1985.