Raiford, Florida

Raiford, Florida
Town
Raiford City Hall
Location in Union County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 30°3′46″N 82°14′13″W / 30.06278°N 82.23694°W / 30.06278; -82.23694
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Union
Settled	1895[1][2]
Incorporated	August 1971[1][2][3][4]
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council
• Mayor[4]	Lamar Griffis
• Council President	Sherry Richard
• Councilors	Benita Griffis, Deana Rainey, and Randall Griffis Sr.
• Town Clerk	Jackie Fautt
• Town Attorney	Aaron Dukes
Area [5]
• Total	0.55 sq mi (1.41 km2)
• Land	0.55 sq mi (1.41 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	131 ft (40 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	224
• Density	411.01/sq mi (158.62/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	32026, 32083
Area code	386
FIPS code	12-59400[6]
GNIS feature ID	0289434[7]

Raiford is a town in Union County, Florida, United States. There are three correctional institutions around the town. The first Florida State Prison was established in the Raiford area. Union Correctional Institution holds the state death row for men.

The town has a Masonic lodge, Raiford Lodge #82, under the jurisdiction of The Grand Lodge of Florida. The non-prisoner population was 224 at the 2020 census.

Around 1895, the first non-indigenous person to settle the area was a man named Hunter Warren Raiford, who was involved in the naval stores business.^[1][2] By about 1900, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was built through the settlement and a post office was built with the community being named after Raiford. Hunter Warren Raiford himself would serve as the first postmaster.^[1][2] In 1939, the Raiford Prison baseball team set a record for consecutive scoreless innings, 52.^[8] The municipality was officially incorporated as the Town of Raiford in August of 1971.^[1][2][3][4]

The approximate coordinates for the Town of Raiford is located at 30°3′46″N 82°14′13″W / 30.06278°N 82.23694°W / 30.06278; -82.23694 (30.062892, –82.236999).^[9]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²), all land.

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the Town of Raiford has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 224 people, 85 households, and 72 families residing in the town.^[13]

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 255 people, 40 households, and 27 families residing in the town.^[14]

As of the census^[6] of 2000, there were 187 people, 68 households, and 48 families residing in the town. The population density was 356.7 inhabitants per square mile (137.7/km²). There were 76 housing units at an average density of 145.0 units per square mile (56.0 units/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 83.42% White, 14.97% African American, 1.07% Native American, and 0.53% from two or more races.

In 2000, there were 68 households, out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.46.

In 2000, in the town, the population was spread out, with 31.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $18,747 and the median income for a family was $22,000. Males had a median income of $12,708 versus $10,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,684. About 68.0% of families and 88.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 82.00% of those under the age of 18 and 22.00% of those 65 or over making it the poorest town in the poorest county in the country.

The Raiford area includes Union Correctional Institution (UCI) in unincorporated Union County,^[15] as well as Florida State Prison (FSP), right across the Bradford County line,^[16] the two institutions having originally been one. UCI was the state's first prison, and was originally called "Florida State Prison". The name went with the newer institution when the two were split. Both institutions house inmates in death row facilities. FSP conducts all executions, while most death row inmates are housed at UCI.

UCI has the most diverse population of any correctional institution in the state. It houses 'close management inmates' and 'psych inmates' as well as 'open population' inmates. Most of the latter are age fifty and over.

FSP houses the violent and criminally insane in solitary confinement. The men on death row are also in solitary.

The penitentiary compound encompasses over fifty acres (200,000 m²) and includes a farm where much food is grown that feeds inmates.

Nearby are the state's training facilities for Correctional Officers (COs), some housing for COs, and the warden's house.

Convicted serial killer Ted Bundy was held at Raiford for years and executed there in 1989.

The school district is the Union County School District, which covers all of Union County.^[17]

• Community of Raiford

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Raiford, Florida.