Raiford, Florida

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. 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. In 1939, the Raiford Prison baseball team set a record for consecutive scoreless innings, 52. The municipality was officially incorporated as the Town of Raiford in August of 1971.

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).

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.

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