For many people, Route 66 brings to mind neon signs, roadside motels, and long stretches of open road. It lives in road trip memories and photographs passed down overtime and is often spoken about as something that belongs to the past. 

Across the Southwest and beyond, communities are proving otherwise. Route 66 is being restored not as a museum piece, but as a living corridor shaped by local culture, shared history, and everyday use. These efforts keep the road familiar, welcoming, and connected to the people who live and gather along it. 

A New Kind of Revival 

Today’s Route 66 revival is less about recreating the past and more about caring for what already exists. Preservation efforts focus on repairing historic buildings, relighting neon signs, and maintaining original road segments so these places can continue to serve the people who live and work along the route. 

Rather than replacing familiar landmarks, communities are choosing restoration. Motels are refreshed instead of torn down, signage is repaired and lit again, and streets are updated to better support walking, small businesses, and everyday gathering. The result is a Route 66 that remains recognizable while still functioning as an active part of modern community life. 

New Mexico’s Ongoing Commitment 

New Mexico has taken a long-term, coordinated approach to Route 66 preservation. Since 1989, the New Mexico Route 66 Association has worked to educate, preserve, and promote the road across the state, ensuring its history remains active rather than archived. 

With support from the National Park Service, preservation efforts have included neon restorations, rehabilitation work at the El Rancho Hotel, and continued care for the Blue Swallow Motel. These projects are supported by oral history initiatives, corridor planning, and preservation publications that keep Route 66 visible and usable. In Albuquerque, the Albuquerque Department of Arts and Culture has contributed through corridor preservation grants and a neon history video series documenting Central Avenue’s role in everyday community life. 

Why It Matters Now 

Route 66 restoration matters because it strengthens the places people already call home. By choosing to repair rather than replace, communities keep familiar landmarks active, recognizable, and part of daily life. 

In a fast-moving world, Route 66 offers something increasingly rare. A sense of place that encourages people to slow down, connect, and experience the character of the communities along the road. 

Looking Ahead 

At American Home Furniture and Mattress, community has always been at the heart of how spaces matter. Homes, like Route 66, gain meaning through the people who live, gather, and pass through them. 

Restoration keeps that connection intact. It allows Route 66 to move forward not as a relic, but as a shared place shaped by the communities that care for it. 

World Class, Local Style. Community Is Built, Not Left Behind.