The village was built in 1920, near the small settlement of Haggonfields, to provide housing for coal miners working at the nearby Shireoaks and Steetley pits. It was named after G. Preston Rhodes, then chairman of Shireoaks Colliery.[2] Tylden Road, the main road through the village, was named after the pit's first manager. There are no longer any active mines in the area.
Rhodesia consists of just over 300 houses, a pub at Woodend, one shop, a school and a village hall. Part of the village is bordered by the Chesterfield Canal and it is also adjacent to the A57. Rhodesia is between Shireoaks and Retford railway stations, and the Robin Hood Line passes through the village.