Turbinado sugar became more popular when it was produced and branded as "sugar in the raw" produced in Maui, Hawaii. Unlike granulated sugar, "sugar in the raw" sugar has large crystals and is unbleached so the resulting sugar has a warm brown color.
If you have a recipe that calls for raw sugar there are several alternatives. Select either moist crystals (like brown sugar or Muscavado) or dry crystals such as Turbinado depending on what's called for in your recipe.