ZIP Code 04072

Saco is a city in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,381 at the 2020 census. It is home to Ferry Beach State Park, Funtown Splashtown USA, Thornton Academy, as well as General Dynamics Armament Systems (also known by its former name, Saco Defense), a subsidiary of the defense contractor General Dynamics. Saco sees much tourism during summer months due to its amusement parks and proximity to Old Orchard Beach. The town was once a center for lumbering, with log drives down the river from Little Falls Plantation (now Dayton, Lyman, Hollis and part of Limington). At Saco Falls, the timber was cut by 17 sawmills. In 1827, the community produced 21,000,000 feet (6,400,000 m) of sawn lumber, some of which was used for shipbuilding. But the textile industry faded in the 20th century, and Saco and Biddefords became separate towns. The city is part of the PortlandSouth PortlandBiddefords, Maine metropolitan statistical area, which includes the cities of Portland, South Portland, and York. It was founded in 1630 by Thomas Lewis and Richard Bonython, and was named after the town of Saco in New England. It would be reorganized in 1653 by the Massachusetts General Court as Saco, which would be renamed Bideford in 1718. The name Saco was changed in 1805, and the city was incorporated in 1867.

History

Saco was territory of the Abenaki tribe whose fortified village was located up the Sokokis Trail at Pequawket (now Fryeburg) There was a settlement at the mouth of the Saco river, with homes and permanent cultivation, at the time of contact with Europeans in the early 1600s. In 1630 the Plymouth Company granted Thomas Lewis and Richard Bonython a charter to establish a town at Saco, with a deed that extended 4 miles (6.4 km) along the sea, by 8 miles (13 km) inland. The town was attacked by Indians in 1675 during King Philip's War. Saco lay in contested territory between New England and New France, which recruited the Indians as allies. In 1827, the community produced 21,000,000 feet (6,400,000 m) of sawn lumber, some of which was used for shipbuilding. In 2007, a small wind turbine was erected near the foot of Front Street. Another larger wind turbine on the top of Front Hill was erected in December 2007. The city has taken steps to make the city more environmentally friendly. In the 20th century, Saco became a center for lumbering, with log drives down the river from Little Falls Plantation (now Dayton, Lyman, Hollis and part of Limington). At Saco Falls, the timber was cut by 17 sawmills. Many buildings in the Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival and Victorian styles are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Saco is situated beside Saco Bay on the Gulf of Maine. It is drained by the Saco River. Saco has a wide variety of landforms, including beaches, fields, forests, bogs, and urban areas. It borders the city of Biddeford, as well as the towns of Scarborough, Buxton, Dayton and Old Orchard Beach. The city has a total area of 52.76 square miles (136.65 km²), of which, 38.46 squaremile (99.61 km²) of it is land and 14.30 square mile (37.04km²) is water. It has a population of 2,816. It was the site of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and 1970s. The town is located on the Atlantic seaboard of New England, and is located in the coastal region of the state of Maine, which is part of the Eastern Seaboard. It also borders the cities of Scarborough and Buxton and the town of Dayton. It contains a number of tourist attractions, such as the Maine Maritime Museum and the Maine Seaplane Museum. The state's largest employer is the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, which has more than 1,000 employees. The mayor of Saco is the former mayor of the city, who was elected to a second term in 2008. The current mayor is the current mayor, who served from 2010 to 2013, and was re-elected in 2012.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 18,482 people, 7,623 households, and 4,925 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 95.7% White, 0.7%. The median income for a household in theCity was $45,105, and the median income. for a family was $52,724. About 7.1% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.4% of those under age 18 and 10.8% ofThose age 65 or over. The city is divided into 7 voting wards: Ward 1, Ward 2, Ward 3, Ward 4, Ward 5, Ward 6, Ward 7 and Ward 7 by Councilor Joseph MacPhail, Councilor Jodi Johnston and Councilor Nathan Johnston. The median age in the City was 41.9 years, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 6.8%, 32.1%, 25.6% and 30.5% respectively. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was2.88. The gender makeup ofThe city was 48.3% male and 51.7 per cent female. The population density was 480.6 inhabitants per square mile (185.6/km²). There were 8,508 housing units at an average density of 221.2 per squaremile (85.4/ km²) The city had a population of 16,822 people in 2000, with 7,424 housing units.

Education

University College has a campus located in Saco, ME. Saco is home to the University of Maine at Orono, a public university. The town is also home to a number of private schools and a middle and high school. It is also the home of the Saco Transition Program, which helps students transition from one school to the next. The city also has a high school, a middle school, and a school for high school students, which are all located in the town of Saco. The Saco School District was established in 1903. It was named after the town's first school, Saco High School. The school was closed in 2009 due to budget constraints and lack of students. It reopened in 2010 as Saco Middle School. It has since been renamed Saco-Orono High and Saco Island High. It also has an elementary and middle school. The high school was founded in 1903 and is named after a former school, Saco Island High School, which was also named for a former student. The middle school is called Saco Elementary School and the high school is known as Saco-Obono High. The elementary school is also known as Fairfield High School and has been renamed Fairfield-Young School. There are also two middle schools, one called Young School and one called Fairfield Middle School, as well as two high schools, Thornton Academy and The School At Sweetser. The state's high school has been named after Thornton Academy, which is located in Arundel.

Infrastructure

Saco is accessible from Interstate 95, U.S. Route 1 and Interstate 195. State routes 5, 9, 112, and 117 also serve the city. Taxis serve the Tri-City Area (Saco, Biddeford, and Old Orchard Beach). The Portland International Jetport is about 14 miles (23 km) north of Saco. The ShuttleBus and Zoom Bus provide local transportation. The Saco Transportation Center provides transportation between Portland and Boston via the Downeaster passenger train. It is located in the city's central business district, near the downtown area and the airport. The city is also home to the Saco-Saco High School, which was founded in 1876. It was the first public high school in the state of Maine. The town has a high school, which opened in 1875. It has a college, Saco College, which began in 1881. It also has a community college, which started in 1883. The state's first post-secondary school was Saco High School in 1882. It closed in 1884 and was replaced by Saco Community College in 1891. Saco State College opened in 1888. It became the first state college in Maine in 1894. It remains the state's only public college, with a total enrollment of about 2,000 students. The college has a post-graduate program, which offers classes in business, law, and economics. The university has a business school, where it offers business and finance courses.

Environmental contamination

The City of Saco has owned and operated the Saco Municipal Landfill since 1960. The landfill accepted household waste and tannery sludge containing chromium and other heavy metals. In February 1990 the site was placed on the National Priorities List. In September 1996, EPA started capping the landfill. In 2000, institutional controls were established, which restrict site uses. The site consists of four distinct disposal areas, the fourth of which is a recently closed landfill that accepted household Waste and Sludge containing Chromium and Other Heavy metals. The city has owned the landfill since 1960, and has operated it since 2000. It is located in Saco, New Hampshire, about 50 miles north of the city of Portland, Maine, on the New Hampshire-Rhode Island border.

Sites of interest

Sites of interest include Dyer Library, Ferry Beach State Park, Funtown Splashtown USA,aco Heath Preserve, Ferry Beach State park, and Splashtown State Park.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Saco, York County, Maine = 72.2. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 47. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 20. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Saco = 2.9 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 20,381 individuals with a median age of 40.6 age the population grows by 8.57% in Saco, York County, Maine population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 528.21 residents per square mile of area (203.94/km²). There are average 2.4 people per household in the 7,484 households with an average household income of $55,173 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.00% of the available work force and has dropped -3.42% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 26.16%. The number of physicians in Saco per 100,000 population = 153.1.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Saco = 47.6 inches and the annual snowfall = 44.1 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 130. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 197. 76 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 12.3 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 51, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Saco, York County, Maine which are owned by the occupant = 61.42%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 35 years with median home cost = $204,530 and home appreciation of 0.32%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $13.20 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $11,433 per student. There are 12.7 students for each teacher in the school, 345 students for each Librarian and 517 students for each Counselor. 8.93% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 15.57% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 7.45% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).