Kolathur sits in northwestern Chennai within Zone VI of the Greater Chennai Corporation. It is flanked by Villivakkam and Perambur suburban railway stations, giving access to Chennai's suburban rail network toward Chennai Central and Beach.

Arterial roads link it to Anna Nagar, Madhavaram and Ambattur, and several MTC city bus routes serve the locality, connecting to the Koyambedu (CMBT) bus terminus and the wider city. Chennai International Airport lies roughly 15 km to the south.

Kolathur has a mix of government and private schools, including Everwin Vidhyashram, Everwin Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Don Bosco Higher Secondary School, a Government Higher Secondary School, Godson Public School and Smt. Durgadevi Choudary Vivekananda Vidyalaya.

For higher education, the locality has Arulmigu Kapaleeswarar Arts and Science College, Soka Ikeda College of Arts and Science for Women, and Annai Violet Arts and Science College, giving residents schooling and undergraduate options within the neighborhood.

Kolathur's standout economic activity is its ornamental fish trade: around 500 families are engaged in breeding and selling ornamental fish, with over 10 lakh fish reportedly traded daily, making it one of Chennai's most distinctive micro-industry clusters.

Beyond this niche trade, the locality is largely residential with small businesses and commercial establishments along its main roads; nearby Ambattur and Perambur have historically hosted larger industrial estates.

Kolathur is not a major tourist destination but has notable local religious landmarks, including the Arulmigu Somanatha Swamy Temple and the Arulmigu Lakshmi Narayana Perumal Temple, which draw devotees from surrounding neighborhoods. Its ornamental fish market has also become a point of local curiosity.

Visitors seeking broader attractions typically head to nearby Anna Nagar Tower Park or Marina Beach, both a short drive away.

As a primarily residential locality, Kolathur has limited dedicated entertainment infrastructure of its own, with residents relying on nearby hubs such as Anna Nagar and Villivakkam for multiplexes, malls and dining options.

Local recreation centres on neighborhood parks, places of worship, and the community's ornamental fish trading market and shops, which double as a social and commercial gathering point.

Kolathur falls under Ward 64 of Zone VI (Thiru Vi Ka Nagar) of the Greater Chennai Corporation, which oversees local civic services. The locality has faced recurring monsoon flooding, recording among the highest rainfall accumulations in Chennai during events such as the November 2023 rains and Cyclone Michaung, with local reporting linking this to encroachment on natural lakes and wetlands in the area.

Civic authorities have inspected the ward following such episodes to review drainage and relief measures.