City of Saco

Saco is a city in York County, settled in 1623 and organized as a town on July 5, 1653.

While some suggest the name derives from the Sokokis Indians of the area, others believe it is of Indian origin meaning the outlet. However, Lawrence Bond notes that Estaban Gomez, an early explorer, called it Bahia de Saco or Bay of the Sack in 1525.

In 1811 Saco Academy was founded after 37 Saco citizens petition the Massachusetts legislature to establish an academy in Saco. Later renamed in honor of benefactor Dr. Thomas G. Thornton, the school was destroyed by a suspicious fire in 1848 and was not reopened until 1889.

Goosefare Brook nature preserve is a 309-acre waterfront parcel purchased by the Nature Conservancy as an addition to the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge.

One half of the Biddeford-Saco metropolitan area, the city has its own extensive beach and Ferry Beach State Park. Occupying the east side of the Saco River as it enters Saco Bay, the city is the eleventh largest community in Maine.

From Maine: An Encyclopedia (www.themaineencyclopedia.com)