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Culture without borders. / La culture sans frontières.

One Month Before Midterms, Kansas’ Route 66 Loses Its Historic Shine

Five weeks before the US midterm elections, the historic Route 66 heritage in Baxter Springs, Kansas, is neglected due to lack of visitors, highlighting disparities between big cities and small towns in the US, according to RFI.


Thomas Rivière
Thomas Rivière
October 1, 2026  ·  1 min read
B-Empire Magazine
Brief

Five weeks before the midterm elections in the United States, the historic heritage of Route 66 in Baxter Springs, Kansas, is in decline. This legendary highway, symbolizing freedom and adventure, crosses eight states but today suffers from a lack of visitors.

According to RFI, this decline reflects a two-speed America, contrasting large metropolitan areas with small towns struggling to attract the visitors needed to sustain their heritage. In Baxter Springs, nostalgia for Route 66 is no longer enough to preserve this heritage, which is now left abandoned.

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