McKinnon expanded in the early 1900s due to the McKinnon railway station. McKinnon Road features McKinnon's main shopping strip and many back alleys run along the rear on either side. During the 1990s there was a gradual decline in the variety of shops on McKinnon's main shopping strip. This was highlighted by the loss of a butcher, green grocer, independent supermarket, nursery, bank, library and doctor's surgery. However, in recent years the shopping strip has begun to reinvent itself with the emergence of a small but noticeable cafe culture.