Midlothian, Virginia: Where the Coal Ran Out and the Chick-fil-A Lines Began

If you've ever wondered what happens when a town mines some of the earliest commercial coal in North America and then decides its next big act is a Panera Bread, welcome to Midlothian, Virginia. It sits about ten miles west of Richmond in Chesterfield County and is well off the beaten path of "must-see" lists. We mean that affectionately, mostly.

A Town Named After Scotland, Built on a Hole in the Ground

Midlothian has more history than its strip-mall exterior lets on. Midlothian is the site of some of the earliest commercially-mined coal in the Colony of Virginia and North America. By about 1709, coal was being actively mined for commercial use.

The name comes from the Wooldridge family's operation, which borrowed it from the Scottish coal region. Their Mid-Lothian Mining and Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1836. That work was deadly, and it was done by free and enslaved laborers alike. The Scottish name is also easy to mix up with the actual Midlothian in Scotland, a council area bordering Edinburgh, so check your flight booking.

The local mining legacy has real bragging rights. The area also lays claim to the Chesterfield Railroad, a mule-and-gravity line connecting the mines to James River wharves. So a mule-powered railroad is the town's origin story, and today the mules have been replaced by lifted Silverados.

You can still visit the evidence. Mid-Lothian Mines Park is a preserve featuring exhibits, an amphitheater, and pedestrian trails around Loch Lothian Lake. It is the closest thing Midlothian has to a historic attraction that doesn't validate parking.

The "Downtown" That Wasn't (and the Stroads That Are)

Our friends at RoastMyTown point out that Midlothian has no downtown, and they have a point, though it's more of a legal technicality than an urban planning failure. Because of its unincorporated status, Midlothian has no formal government, and the name covers the original small village plus a vast expanse of Chesterfield County served by the Midlothian post office. A town with no official borders, no mayor, and no town hall is hard to give a Main Street.

What you get instead is Midlothian Turnpike (US Route 60), a former toll road, and the Chesterfield Town Center area, where the shopping options are plentiful and the sidewalks are an afterthought. Population figures also depend on which map you're squinting at. Nobody can agree where Midlothian ends, which at least makes it hard to get lost on purpose.

Polo Shirts, Pickup Trucks, and Proof of Prosperity

The roast says the residents are an army of polo-shirted snobs. We can offer the receipts on the "upper-middle class" part. Midlothian is a comfortably affluent place. The polo shirts are doing a lot of work here.

Over in ZIP code 23113, things get fancier still. That is a lot of money to spend on a house within sight of a Chick-fil-A drive-thru line.

The numbers also complicate the "braindead teens" angle. Strong graduation rates suggest someone is doing the homework between truck rides. We'll give the parking-lot hotshots the benefit of the doubt and assume they're merely enthusiastic.

Eating Your Way Through the Suburbs

Dining is where the roast hits hardest, and it isn't entirely unfair. Midlothian Chef's Kitchen is the local fine-dining flagship. When one talented kitchen carries your culinary reputation, the rest of the scene is a lot of chain restaurants and a diner with an Elvis, which is itself a flex.

Credit where it's due: the diner has more personality than most of the chains combined. If your idea of exotic is sriracha Brussels sprouts, you will be thrilled. If you want something more adventurous, Richmond is a 20-minute drive east.

The Donnie Darko Connection

Midlothian's best cultural export isn't a restaurant. It's a cult film. Filmmaker Richard Kelly grew up here, and Donnie Darko is set in a fictional town called Middlesex, Virginia, inspired by his memories of Midlothian. A suburb that inspired a movie about time travel, giant rabbits, and existential dread has either a rich inner life or a very long commute.

The Verdict

Midlothian is a wealthy, fast-growing suburb with a surprisingly big place in American industrial history, a few good restaurants, and an identity crisis about what to do with all that heritage. Visit the mines park, grab a bite at Chef's Kitchen, say hi to Elvis, and keep your eyes out for the trucks in the Town Center parking lot.

Think we were too nice? See the full roast on RoastMyTown.com.