Erin Hill
Gadsden County News Service
The City of Midway marked its 40th anniversary Sept. 3, celebrating four decades since the Gadsden County community was incorporated in 1986.
City officials, residents and community members gathered for a Ruby Celebration commemorating the milestone and recognizing Midway’s history, growth and future.
Midway was incorporated through a special act of the Florida Legislature. Chapter 86-471, Laws of Florida, established the city’s charter in 1986.
Although the city is 40 years old, the Midway community dates back much further.
Historical accounts show the area was known as Salubrity during the 1800s before becoming known as Midway. The community was along the Old Spanish Trail and was served by stagecoaches and trains. Industries in the area over the years included sawmills, lumber operations, turpentine production, a brickyard and fuller’s earth mining.
Ronald Colston served as Midway’s first mayor after incorporation.
Records from the Florida Commission on Ethics offer a glimpse into the city’s early government. In an October 1987 opinion, the commission described Midway as a “newly created municipality” and noted that its city manager was serving without pay at the time.
Midway has grown considerably since those early years.
The 2010 U.S. Census counted 3,004 residents in Midway. By the 2020 Census, the population had increased to 3,537.
The city’s location near Tallahassee and along Interstate 10 and U.S. 90 has also made commercial and industrial development a significant part of its growth.
During this year’s anniversary celebration, city officials highlighted recent economic development, including a 19-acre business campus at Hammock Creek Commerce Park and another development expected to create about 200 jobs.
Mayor Pro Tem NanDrycka King Albert described Midway during the celebration as the “gateway city to Gadsden County.”
“We may be a small city, but there’s a grandness about us,” Albert said.
The city began planning for the milestone earlier this year with the creation of a 40th Anniversary Planning Committee. Representatives from each council district were selected to help organize activities surrounding the anniversary.
Committee member Vicki Muse Johnson said the anniversary was not only an opportunity to recognize the city’s past but also to consider the generations that will follow.
“What we’re doing is making sure we leave something behind to help empower our next generation because what we do today definitely impacts and affects those that are coming behind us,” Johnson said.
Midway’s 40th anniversary recognizes the city’s four decades as a municipality while also reflecting a community history that stretches back well before incorporation.
The city now enters its fifth decade with more than 3,500 residents and continued residential, commercial and industrial growth.
