Glen Allen

Glen Allen is located in north-central Fayette County and south-central Marion County, with the majority of the town lying in Fayette County, in the northwestern part of the state. It has a mayor/city council form of government.

History

First known as Stewart’s Gap after a post office located there in 1877, Glen Allen derived its current name from the last names of two engineers who worked on the railroad (probably the Kansas City, Memphis, and Birmingham) that came through the area in 1885. The town was laid out along the rail line in 1889 and lots were sold.

Glen Allen Town Hall and Post Office The railroad turned Glen Allen into a significant shipping point; early products included sand and railroad crossties, with later products being cotton and cotton seed, lumber from a nearby sawmill, and sassafras oil. Coal became another major commodity, as the Birmingham steel mills began to expand. A telephone system was in place by the early twentieth century.

The town incorporated in May 1959, and by 1967, Glen Allen had completed a new water and sewer system. The town has expanded several times through annexations of surrounding land.

Demographics

According to 2020 Census estimates, Glen Allen recorded a population of 363. Of that number, 87.1 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 9.1 percent as African American, 3.6 percent as two or more races, and 0.3 percent as American Indian. The town’s median household income was $38,750, and the per capita income was $23,025.

Employment

According to 2020 Census estimates, the work force in Glen Allen was divided among the following industrial categories:

  • Arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services (24.9 percent)
  • Manufacturing (18.5 percent)
  • Retail trade (10.4 percent)
  • Public administration (6.9 percent)
  • Transportation and warehousing and utilities (6.9 percent)
  • Finance, insurance, and real estate, rental, and leasing (6.4 percent)
  • Educational services, and health care and social assistance (5.8 percent)
  • Information (5.2 percent)
  • Wholesale trade (5.2 percent)
  • Construction (4.6 percent)
  • Other services, except public administration (2.9 percent)
  • Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extractive (2.3 percent)

Education

Students in Glen Allen attend schools in the Fayette County school system; no public schools lie within the town limits.

Transportation

State Highway 129 runs north-south through Glen Allen, and State Highway 118 runs through the northernmost portion of the town.

Events and Places of Interest

The Bankhead National Forest is located approximately 15 miles northeast of Glen Allen.

Additional Resources

Fayette County Heritage Book Committee. Heritage of Fayette County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, Inc., 1999.

External Links

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