Landscaping in Saco, Maine.

Saco sits on the north bank of the Saco River across from Biddeford, with 38 square miles of land that take in beaches, fields, forests, bogs and a downtown. Ferry Beach State Park, Camp Ellis beach and pier, and the old mill district on Factory Island are all here. At Camp Ellis the shoreline has been eroding since the Army Corps built a jetty at the river mouth in the 1860s, a reminder of how much the water shapes land in this town.

About 20,800 people live in Saco. Its housing is newer than its twin city's: the median home dates to 1982, though about 22% were built before 1940, and 73% are owner-occupied. That mix means both renovation work in the older neighborhoods and first landscapes for newer homes further out.

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Saco at a glance

Landmarks: Ferry Beach State Park, Camp Ellis, Factory Island, the Saco River
Housing: Median home built 1982; ~22% built before 1940; ~73% owner-occupied
Water & sewer: Maine Water from the Saco River; about 100 miles of city sewer
River corridor: Saco River Corridor Commission permit within 500 ft of the river (up to 1,000 ft in the floodplain)
Tree quarantines: Emerald ash borer, hemlock woolly adelgid, spongy moth, white pine blister rust
Hardiness zone: 5b (2023 USDA map)

Living beside the Saco River

Saco is a Saco River Corridor town. The Saco River Corridor Commission regulates land within 500 feet of the river's high-water line, extending up to 1,000 feet where the 100-year floodplain runs wider, and building in the corridor needs a Commission permit. On the coast, Maine's 250-foot shoreland zone applies to tidal waters and coastal wetlands.

The river is also Saco's drinking water. Maine Water draws from it and treats it at the Saco River Drinking Water Resource Center, which came online in 2022. For riverside and beach-area properties, landscape work is planned to keep soil in place and fertilizer out of the water: plantings that hold banks, patios pitched to soak water in, and nutrients only where a soil test says they are needed.

Older neighborhoods, newer edges

In the older neighborhoods near downtown, the jobs look like Biddeford's: rebuilding steps and walls, clearing overgrown beds, and bringing back lawns on small lots. Further out, where much of Saco's post-1980 housing sits, the yards are often builder-grade. That usually means a strip of shrubs, a lawn seeded on thin loam, and a back yard waiting for its first patio.

Those newer lots are where a patio built on an excavated, compacted and properly pitched base, and a lawn rebuilt with four to six inches of topsoil, make the biggest difference. UMaine Extension recommends seeding between mid-August and mid-September.

Trees and winter

The Maine Forest Service lists Saco, in York County, in its quarantines for emerald ash borer, hemlock woolly adelgid, spongy moth and white pine blister rust. Saco is in zone 5b on the 2023 USDA map, so choose foundation plants hardy to that zone. The city declares snow-emergency parking bans storm by storm, and cars off the street are part of how plowing gets done.

What we do in Saco

The work Saco properties need most.

Flagstone & Paver Patios in Saco
First patios for newer homes, pitched to soak water in near the river.
Planting & Garden Beds in Saco
Plantings that hold riverbanks and dress up builder foundation beds.
Hydroseeding, Sod & Turf in Saco
Rebuilding lawns seeded on thin loam.
Retaining Walls in Saco
Walls and steps rebuilt on the older neighborhoods' sloped lots.
Snow Plowing in Saco
Driveways cleared when snow-emergency bans take the street away.

Also available in Saco

Nearby towns we serve

Our crews work all over Greater Portland from Cumberland. See the full service area or jump to a neighboring town:

Sources for the local facts on this page

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