The Beginning

Old Orchard Beach has a rich history dating back to 1603 when explorer Martin Pring entered Saco Bay and made a landing. He and his party were no doubt the first Englishmen to set foot upon these shores. Much of the history of Maine had it's beginnings here. The first court was held in 1636, the first saw mill in Maine was built on the Saco River in1653. Old Orchard Beach got it's name from an apple orchard planted here by one of the early settlers named Richard Rogers, it remained for 150 years hence the name Old Orchard.
In the Beginning Old Orchard Beach was part of Saco, but on February 20,1883 the town of Old Orchard Beach was officially born.

The Town Of Old Orchard Beach

Old Orchard Beach is located approximately 20 miles South of Portland, Maine bordered on the East by the Atlantic Ocean, South and West by the city of Saco and North by the town of Scarborough. Old Orchard Beach is approximately 7 square miles in area, bordering the Atlantic Ocean with a little over 3 miles of sandy beach reaching from Saco to Scarborough.
We have a class C school system and the high school has under 400 students. Our year round population is around 9,000 (1995 guesstimate) which swells during
the summer months to over 75,000.