Cole, the County Mascot

Meet Cole, the county mascot. He is resourceful, skillful and adaptable and he’s excited to welcome you to our beautiful county of Chesterfield, Virginia! You can find Cole at various locations and high-traffic events in our fun, historic county. Hear more of Cole’s story below.

How did we get here?

During a county-wide spirit week in May 2024, Chesterfield County employees were able to cast an open vote for a county mascot. From the submissions, a committee picked a top four: a raccoon, a chipmunk, a retriever, and a bear. One thing was certain, though, a high percentage of Chesterfield employees tied the mascot to our rich coal-mining history. And because of that, the committee decided that whatever mascot won, its name would be “Cole” – you see what we did there. 😉 You can read more about the voting process by reading our blog post.

With our top four options, we took the vote to social media and let the public vote for their favorite between the raccoon, the chipmunk, the retriever, and the bear. Over 3,000 votes were cast, and the raccoon was the clear winner with over 1,000 votes. We then commissioned two local artists, Ross Trimmer (@surehandsigns) and Mickael Broth (@thenightowl), who worked day in and out to create the final design of our beloved mascot. You’ve seen some of their work if you’ve visited the Midlothian mural at Winterfield Crossing. Thank you to Ross and Mickael for this incredible design of Cole that we’ve all fallen in love with!

Here are some of the places you might find Cole:

  • Hanging with MIRV, the county’s mobile information resource vehicle.
  • At county-run events, like the farmers market, Outdoor Fest, trunk-or-treat, etc.
  • Other special events that showcase Chesterfield as a great place to live, work, and play.
Follow Cole’s journey on Instagram!

Want more ways to #experienceChesterfield?!