Midway, Kentucky

Midway is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, in the United States. Its population was 1,620 at the time of the year 2000 U.S. census. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area.The town is home to a major thoroughbred race horse breeding operation, the Three Chimneys Farm. In 2003, faced with a declining downtown, a major streetscape renovation project began as part of Main Street Kentucky. New period structures and lighting brought new life to the town.HistoryBefore its European exploration, the area around Midway was inhabited by the Mound Builders. Two large and several smaller American Indian mounds have been identified on nearby farms.The present city began as a small settlement known as Stevenson's at the time of its first post office in 1832. On January 31, 1835, the local farmer John Francisco sold his 216.375acre farm to the Lexington and Ohio Railroad for $6,491.25. The railroad then used the land to establish Kentucky's first railroad town, naming it Middleway for its location relative to Lexington and Frankfort, Kentucky. (The town is also equidistant between Versailles and Georgetown.) The major streets of Midway were named in honor of the railroad's original officials. It was renamed Midway in 1837.