Glenochil - the village as we know it today is a product of the building of the prison, opened in 1966 and since extended.
As part of the original prison complex, a number of houses were built around the prison, intended to house prison staff. Originally this was the case, and planning permission conditions stipulated that the houses be painted in olive drab colour in order to diminish their visibility from Menstrie and Alva.
Nowadays many of the houses are painted in other colours and the village is all the less imposing for it. Many (if not all) of the houses are now privately owned. Tullibody, which used to be separated from Glenochil by a small wood, is essentially now just across the road.
HMP Glenochil was first opened in 1966 as a detention centre on land which was purchased from the National Coal Board, formerly King O'Muirs mines No.2 and No.3, and Glenochil Mine and it's serving railway connection. The prison was extended in 1975 to become a Young Offender's Institution and Detention Centre. In the 1980s it began holding long-term prisoners and in 2007 began accepting short term prisoners.
There is a small commercial area to the west of the village that has hosted many businesses over the years, including car dealers, roofers and double-glazing installers.
Over the road and to the east was the location for another coal mine, King O'Muirs mine No.1. Further east near the roundabout was the Collyland Mine.
The Glenochil railway line branch was removed following the closure of Glenochil Mine in June 1962 and the remaining trackbed is used mainly for farm access now.
Glenochil hosts one of Clackmannanshire few remaining K6 telephone boxes.