Azusa, California 1972
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This photograph captures Foothill Boulevard during its Route 66 era, when Azusa was still defined by neon signs, drive-ins, and roadside businesses catering to motorists traveling the “Mother Road.” Visible in the distance are classic brands of the time — A&W Root Beer, loan offices, gas stations, family restaurants, and small independent shops — all competing for attention along this wide commercial strip. The street layout, palm trees, and traffic lanes are unmistakably Southern California in the early 1970s.
Foothill Boulevard served as the official alignment of U.S. Route 66 through Azusa, and a small Route 66 sign marker can be seen confirming the location. Though the road remains a major artery today, most of the buildings and signage from this scene have since disappeared or been heavily remodeled as the city modernized. Only fragments of the original roadside architecture survive, and Route 66 now exists here more as memory and heritage than as a functioning highway.
Yet the historic designation remains, and travelers can still drive this same stretch of pavement — one of the many places where Route 66 quietly lives on beneath the modern landscape.
About Retro Stock Photography
Retro Stock Photography specializes in genuine vintage color photographs from the 1950s through the 1990s, all available as royalty-free instant downloads. Our photos are popular for editorial features, books, magazines, websites, documentaries, advertising, social media, local history projects, creative design, and as unique gifts when printed.
All of our images are scanned directly from original slides and negatives, preserving their authenticity, detail, and character. And because we own the original photographs and copyrights, all of our collection is exclusive to us and not available elsewhere.
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