Saco, Maine, United States of America

Saco is a city located in York County, Maine. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 16,822.

Originally settled in the early 1600s as part of neighboring Biddeford, it became a separate town in 1762 with the name Pepperellborough, named in honor of the (at the time) recently deceased William Pepperell. It was renamed Saco in 1805, and was recognized as a city in 1867.

Singer-songwriter Catie Curtis and 19th-century millionaire businessman Samuel Brannan were both born in the city. Saco is home to Funtown USA (an amusement park), and Aquaboggan (a water park), as well as General Dynamics Armament Systems (also known by its former name, Saco Defense), a subsidiary of the defense contractor General Dynamics; it builds primarily small arms weapons for the U.S. military, such as the M60 machine gun. Saco sees much tourism during summer months, due to its proximity to Old Orchard Beach and the aforementioned parks.

Saco Geography

Saco is located at 43°30'38" North, 70°26'42" West (43.510425, -70.444920).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 101.9 km² (39.3 mi²). 99.7 km² (38.5 mi²) of it is land and 2.3 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.21% water.

Saco Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 16,822 people, 6,801 households, and 4,590 families residing in the city. The population density is 168.8/km² (437.2/mi²). There are 7,424 housing units at an average density of 74.5/km² (193.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 97.91% White, 0.32% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 6,801 households out of which 33.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% are married couples living together, 10.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% are non-families. 25.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.44 and the average family size is 2.93.

In the city the population is spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $45,105, and the median income for a family is $52,724. Males have a median income of $35,446 versus $25,585 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,444. 8.2% of the population and 7.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 9.4% of those under the age of 18 and 10.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

External links

History of Saco, written in 1886

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Saco,_Maine".