"Glen Allen: a little history in the suburbs" Glen Allen by b1bob

Glen Allen Travel Guide: 21 reviews and 32 photos

Glen Allen: old and mostly new - Glen Allen

What is Glen Allen?

Glen Allen would seem to be just another bedroom community in the suburbs of western Henrico County. To a large extent, that is correct. There are plenty of shopping centres and strip malls in Glen Allen that leave almost no evidence of its rural heritage. Glen Allen in 2006 is what Mechanicsville and other parts of Hanover County will be in 2020 if we do nothing to put the brakes on the unrestrained growth. Mountain Road was the road often traveled by Thomas Jefferson in colonial times between Williamsburg and Charlottesville. The last vestiges of its of its rural past is the Meadow Farm at Crump Park and the Courtney Road Service Station which only serves as an historic monument.

Where is Glen Allen?

Friends from outside the area might not know exactly where Glen Allen is located. It is northwest of the city of Richmond. Along I-295, exits 43 through to 53 will put you in Glen Allen.

Pros and Cons

Pros:A nice safe community (for now) in which to live and raise a family.
Cons:Blind and unfettered development is swallowing up the green space.
In a nutshell:A cautionary example of unchecked growth.

Intro Updated Jul 10, 2006
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Reviews (20)

Walkerton Tavern Things to Do (3)

Walkerton Tavern was built by John Walker in the mid 1820s. Across the years, it has served as a tavern, store, post... more travel advice

One man's class... Shopping (8)

Class and Trash is one of the funkier antique stores in the area. It is a two-storey brick building next to a garage on... more travel advice

not as good as it smells Restaurants (4)

Phat Boyz is a small barbecue place on Route 1 next to Green Top. You can smell them slow-cooking barbecue outside. Like... more travel advice

Indian, anyone? Restaurants (4)

Believe it or not, I hadn't tried Indian food until just after my 38th birthday. My buddy Dustin Gillis and I both... more travel advice

Favorites (2)
See All Innsbrook Pavilion
Local Customs (2)
See All Old fashioned Fourth of July

Sports & Outdoors (1)
All Golf
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Comments (15)

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MikeAtSea Jul 12, 2009 at 7:48 AM

Cute little town - the Innsbook Centre almost sounds like the Tyrolian City Innsbruck. Michael
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Basaic Apr 28, 2009 at 6:52 PM

The Lebanese Food Festival sounds great. I lived in Arlington for about 4 years.
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gr8merlin Sep 18, 2008 at 10:55 AM

Virginia Center Commons has Macy's and several up-scale accessory stores for products like Gucci, etc. The 100+ stores are awesome plus the week-end modeling shows.
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SWFC_Fan Oct 15, 2007 at 1:38 PM

Another excellent update...and another mouthwatering meal! I'm glad you enjoyed your first Indian experience. I'd have probably ordered the coconut shrimps too - I'm a huge fan of shrimps in curries and stir fry dishes!
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richiecdisc Oct 15, 2007 at 10:46 AM

Good to see you finally tried Indian food, Nat. It's one of my favorites.
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Yaqui Sep 28, 2007 at 7:57 AM

People tend to forget what these little communities have to offer. It never surprises me when I find that these communities have the most personality. Happy Trails!
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Leipzig Aug 7, 2007 at 9:50 AM

Great page! I love strolling through tiny towns. - Just had shish kebab this noon ;-)
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matcrazy1 Sep 3, 2006 at 6:53 PM

Nice job. I have no idea what's tabouli but I'd try it :-) Courtney Road Service Station looks quite new to me.
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josephescu Jul 10, 2006 at 10:10 AM

getting full of mexican food...after playing the blacksmith - sounds great for a week-end! wish it was closer to home.
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Hopkid Jul 7, 2006 at 1:28 PM

Nice job on the Glen Allen page, Nat! Gotta love the Lebanese Festival!