Puritans migrated to St. John's Parish, Georgia, from Dorchester, South Carolina, in 1752 and established several settlements, including what became the Midway community.

The Council of Georgia granted them 31,950 acres (129.3 km2), as colonial officials wanted a large number of settlers in the area to help protect them from the Creek Indians.

The original Midway settlers were primarily rice planters and developed a strong agricultural economy, aided by the 1,500 slaves they brought from South Carolina.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Midway has a total area of 6.4 square miles (16.7 km2), of which 1.74 acres (7,053 m2), or 0.04%, are water.

[citation needed] In July 2011 Midway received national attention after city police shut down a lemonade stand run by young girls attempting to earn money for a waterpark trip.