[3] It is bordered to the southwest by the city of Prichard, to the south by Chickasaw, to the east by the undeveloped northern end of Mobile, and to the northeast by Satsuma and Creola.

[1] The city is drained by Bayou Sara, an east-flowing tributary of the Mobile River.

Later land squatters moved into the area and were able, legally, in 1800 to begin purchasing property.

Some of the pioneer families who seized the opportunity to buy up sections were named Alvarez, Rice, Hartley, Moore, LaCoste, Williams, Tool and Cleveland.

DeWitt, a retired minister editor who moved south in 1890 for health reasons.

[2] The worst rail disaster in the history of Amtrak occurred just east of Saraland on Big Bayou Canot on September 22, 1993.

At approximately 2:53 AM, Amtrak's Sunset Limited train, powered by three locomotives, and en route from Los Angeles to Miami with 220 passengers and crew aboard, crossed the Bayou Canot bridge at high speed and derailed at a kink in the track caused by a barge captain who rammed the bridge by making a wrong turn in the waterway and failed to report the accident.

Much of the rescue efforts were average citizens of the community who journeyed out in the early morning hours in small fishing boats to help at the scene.

At the 2000 census there were 12,288 people in 4,810 households, including 3,602 families, in the city.

At the 2010 census there were 13,405 people in 5,208 households, including 3,757 families, in the city.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 16,171 people, 5,171 households, and 3,615 families residing in the city.

Redwing Carriers, Inc. in Saraland had been identified as having a Superfund site which was at risk from climate change, due to high wildfire hazard potential, flood hazard, or potential for damage in Category 4 or 5 hurricanes.

[9] As of September 2, 2014, Redwing Carriers, Inc. in Saraland was removed from the National Priorities List (NPL) because no hazardous waste remains on site.

[15] Several years prior to 2009 officials of Saraland, Satsuma, and Chickasaw contemplated forming the "Delta School District.