Branford is a town in Suwannee County,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, United States. The population was 711 at the 2020 census.

History

The Town of Branford was officially incorporated as a municipality in 1961, although it's been settled since the late 1800s, and was expanded and renamed in 1886. The original name was "''Rowland’s Bluff''" in the late 19th century when the settlement consisted of a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

and a

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

crossing across the

Suwannee River The Suwannee River (also spelled Suwanee River or Swanee River) is a river that runs through south Georgia southward into Florida in the Southern United States. It is a wild blackwater river, about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrog ...

into Lafayette County. The railroad was extended by Henry B. Plant from

Live Oak Live oak or evergreen oak is any of a number of oaks in several different sections of the genus ''Quercus'' that share the characteristic of evergreen foliage. These oaks are generally not more closely related to each other than they are to o ...

to Branford in 1886, and the community was named "''New Branford''" after

Branford, Connecticut Branford is a shoreline New England town, town located on Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, about east of downtown New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven. The town is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Regi ...

, Henry Plant’s hometown. Later the "New" was dropped. Branford was largely destroyed by a hurricane in 1896, being rebuilt right afterwards.

Geography

The approximate coordinates for the Town of Branford is located at (29.961803, –82.927204). The town is located on the banks of the

. U.S. Route 27 and U.S. Highway 129 intersect in Branford. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , all land.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, the Town of Branford has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

zone (''Cfa'').

Demographics

2010 and 2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 711 people, 323 households, and 175 families residing in the town. As of the 2010 United States census, there were 712 people, 345 households, and 235 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 695 people, 270 households, and 170 families resided in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

is . There were 320 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 87.05%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 7.05%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.29% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.00%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 2.73% from other races, and 2.59% from two or more races. 9.50% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. In 2000, there were 270 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.15. In 2000, in the town the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $24,286, and the median income for a family was $31,705. Males had a median income of $24,583 versus $18,750 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $12,716. 21.0% of the population and 13.8% of families were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

. Out of the total people living in poverty, 17.2% were under the age of 18 and 26.4% are 65 or older.

Education

The public schools within the Town of Branford is served by the Suwannee County School District. *Branford Elementary School * Branford High School

Library

The Branford Library is served by th
Suwannee River Regional Library System
which contains eight branches and also serves

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

and Madison counties. It is open 6 days per week on Suwannee Avenue.

Branford Springs

On the

, Branford Springs within the town is a popular diving spot. File:Branford FL Suwannee River Greenway north01.jpg, Suwannee River Greenway File:Branford FL Suwannee River Greenway south01.jpg, Suwannee River Greenway File:Branford FL spring01.jpg, Branford Springs File:Branford FL spring02.jpg, Branford Springs

References

External links

Town of Branford
{{authority control Towns in Suwannee County, Florida Towns in Florida