LONG BEACH AND U. S. ROUTE 6 
“Grand Army of the Republic Highway”

If your Long Beach ancestors migrated from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio, New York, or Pennsylvania during the 1930s, they probably travelled on US Route 6.

This transcontinental highway runs from Massachusetts, to California, covering 3,652 miles. Wikipedia has an overview at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_6 and individual articles about every state through which US Route 6 passes. Link to the California section at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_6_in_California.

U. S. Route 6 Tourist Association
http://route6tour.com/

Go to the “Maps & State Info” drop-down to get information about US Route 6 in the state from which your ancestors came.

US Ends.com
http://www.usends.com/Focus/LongBeach/index.html

An excellent article, with old maps showing the end of US Route 6 in Long Beach, is available on this site. To learn about the highway from beginning to end, click the highlighted US 6 in the “highway/Approx. time period” box.

California Highways
http://www.cahighways.org/001-008.html#006

To learn even more about US Route 6, use this site.

Southern California Regional Rocks and Roads

http://socalregion.com/highways/us_6/
Click the link above and take a virtual tour of US Route 6.

A A Roads
http://www.aaroads.com/california/us-006_ca.html

This website has photographs taken on the road.

RESEARCH TIP: To understand your ancestors better, take a look at the world through their eyes. Stay off the interstate highways and drive on streets and roads that your relatives used. Imagine how the countryside might have looked to them as they travelled to their new home “out West.”