With eight miles of coastline, two tidal rivers, and Maine’s largest salt marsh, nearly one-third of the 70-plus square miles that make up Scarborough is water. Seven miles south of the city of Portland, Scarborough’s wide, white sand beaches are some of the most popular in the metropolitan area; diehard surfers even catch waves at Higgins Beach in the winter. For the past several years, Scarborough has been one of Maine’s fastest growing towns, which is attributed to its proximity to Portland, natural beauty, good schools, and local amenities.

“It’s a special place because there’s a little bit of everything,” says Sunny Townsend, who has lived in Scarborough with her husband, Scott, since 1997. Partners in the Scott and Sunny Townsend Team of Keller Williams Realty, the Townsends are passionate about the community of Higgins Beach at the northern edge of Scarborough’s coastline, where they also manage 100 vacation rental properties. “The long, expansive tidal span offers hard-packed sand—awesome for ball throwing with our dogs,” says Sunny. She and Scott are both avid paddle boarders; he likes to surf the ocean waves on his board while Sunny prefers paddling calmer waters.