Sand Springs is a city in Osage, Creek and Tulsa counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. A western suburb of Tulsa, it is located predominantly in Tulsa County. The population was 19,874 in the 2020 U. S. Census, an increase of 5.1 percent from the figure of 18,906 recorded in 2010.

History
Geography
Demographics
Economy
Sports
Education
Transportation
Notable people
See also

History

The city was founded in 1911, by Oklahoma philanthropist Charles Page, who envisioned Sand Springs as a haven for orphans and widows. He helped found and develop Sand Springs as a model city that included all components of a total community.

Wealthy businessman Charles Page bought 160 acres of land in Tulsa County, Oklahoma in 1908, intending to build a home for orphan children. The initial tent housing twenty seven children, abandoned by the Hook & Anchor Orphanage in Tulsa, was soon replaced by a frame building housing fifty children. He also decided to form a community called Sand Springs on land west of the children's home, offering free land to anyone who wished to move there and a $20,000 bonus (the amount varied and he also offered free utilities) to companies that would relocate there. In 1911, Page created the Sand Springs Railway, an interurban connecting Sand Springs to Tulsa. The townsite was laid out in 1911. Sand Springs was incorporated as a city in 1912, with a population of 400.

Page built the Sand Springs Power Plant in 1911, on the southeast corner of Main Street and Morrow Road. It anchored an area that Page intended to use for industrial development. There were several significant additions to the facility, and it remained the sole source of electric power for Sand Springs until 1947.

Some of the earliest manufacturing industries were: Kerr Glass Manufacturing; Commander Mills, Kerr, Hubbard and Kelley Lamp and Chimney; Southwest Box Company and Sinclair Prairie Refining Company. Medical and social welfare institutions other than the Sand Springs Home included the Oakwood Sanitorium for nervous and mental diseases, Poole Hospital, the Salvation Army Maternity Home, and the Sand Springs School for the Deaf. Sand Springs became one center of glass production in Oklahoma. Kerr Glass Manufacturing moved to Sand Springs from Chicago in 1913. It and the Alexander H. Kerr company, which made fruit jars, were the only glass companies remaining in business as recently as 1955.

The Home that Charles Page started all those years ago is still there today. What used to be the Widows Colony now accepts single mothers with two or more children.

An EF2 tornado hit Sand Springs on March 25, 2015, killing one resident, and damaging 50 mobile homes.

Geography

Sand Springs is located at 36°8′23″N 96°6′32″W / 36.13972°N 96.10889°W / 36.13972; -96.10889 (36.1398102, -96.1088911). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.0 square miles (54.3 km²), of which, 18.7 square miles (48.4 km²) of it is land and 2.3 square miles (5.9 km²) of it (10.84%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1920	4,067	—
1930	6,674	64.1%
1940	6,137	−8.0%
1950	6,994	14.0%
1960	7,754	10.9%
1970	10,555	36.1%
1980	13,121	24.3%
1990	15,346	17.0%
2000	17,451	13.7%
2010	18,906	8.3%
2020	19,874	5.1%

As of the census of 2000, there were 17,451 people, 6,564 households, and 4,870 families residing in the city. The population density was 934.2 people per square mile (360.7/km²). There were 6,979 housing units at an average density of 373.6 per square mile (144.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city as of 2020 Census was 81.5% White, 2.0% African American, 8.1% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 6.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.8% of the population.

There were 6,564 households, out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,380, and the median income for a family was $47,258. Males had a median income of $38,120 versus $25,373 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,193. About 6.7% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.6% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The economy of Sand Springs is largely focused on promoting small businesses. It has a very active chamber of commerce.

According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture, the most significant businesses in 2000 were: Webco Industries, Sheffield Steel Corporation, Rader Diagnostic Center, Smith-Fibercast, Cust-O-Fab, Piping Companies Incorporated, and Baker Petrolite.

Sports

Although no major sports team is located in Sand Springs, many sporting opportunities are found in the city, including their Softball, baseball, and Soccer Complexes.

The complexes include the Jerry Adair Complex for baseball. Whilst the Roger G. Bush Complex operates for Soccer. Softball takes place within the William Ramsey Softball Complex and features "5 fields w/lights, bleachers, playground, restrooms, and concessions".

Each year, Around Halloween, the Charles Page High School softball and baseball teams don Halloween costumes for the annual Monster Ball, and the money raised benefits the Sand Springs Special Olympic athletes. "It’s a game of softball but there are some rule changes. Baseball players must bat the opposite of their dominant hand, and there is an unlimited amount of positions on the field. The outfield could have 20 outfielders at any given time".

Many Sports are played through an athletic team from Charles Page High School. Sand Springs has a multitude of Youth Sports that include Baseball, Basketball, Tennis, Football, Wrestling, Track, and others. Many of the sports are either in a Varsity team, Junior Varsity team, or both.

Sand Springs holds itself to a BMX Track. The facility features a 2-acre moto-cross style bicycle track with lighting, playground, and concessions. The BMX Track began operating in July 2000, and is now the only BMX track in the Tulsa metro, and one of the only 3 tracks in Oklahoma. After massive flooding happened in late May 2019, in Sand Springs, the BMX Track had been flooded. As several parts of it were damaged by the flooding. They did eventually fix the parts of the track that needed repairing. The BMX park had to sell fireworks and partner with other companies to get it all done. They also had a BMX expert help them rebuild the course to the standards of the organization. The BMX track had its grand re-opening in Mid-July of that year.

Many of the sports are occasionally hosted in the Case Community Park through a youth sports program for the community. Which the park receives privileged use of the park space for each operational sport.

Education

The Sand Springs Public School District is the largest employer in the city. It contains five elementary schools, one middle school, and two High Schools (one public and one private).

Charles Page High School
Clyde Boyd Middle School
Charles Page High School Freshman Academy
Angus Valley Elementary School
Harry T. Pratt Elementary School
Limestone Elementary School
Garfield Elementary School
Northwoods Elementary School
Sixth Grade Center
Early Childhood Center
Page Academy (alternative)

There are also four private Christian schools in Sand Springs.

Amazing Grace Christian Academy
Heritage Baptist School
Landmark Christian Academy
Moriah Christian Academy

Transportation

US Route 412 and Oklahoma State Highway 51 are the major east–west highways through town. Oklahoma State Highway 97 runs north–south.

William R. Pogue Municipal Airport (ICAO identifier KOWP, FAA identifier OWP), owned by the City of Sand Springs, has a paved 5,800-foot-long by 100-foot-wide runway, that is located 4 miles northwest of the central business area of the city, and serves mostly general aviation aircraft.

For commercial air traffic, Tulsa International Airport is about a 20-minute drive to the east-northeast.

Notable people

Jerry Adair (1936–1987), professional baseball player
Michael Bowie (b. 1991), professional football player and 2013 Super Bowl winner
Woody Crumbo (1912–1989), American Indian artist, flutist, and dancer
Daton Fix (b. 1998), freestyle and folkstyle wrestler, four-time undefeated state wrestling champion, national champion, Pan-American champion, Junior World Champion, Junior Olympic Silver Medalist, and Big 12 Champion
Neal Hallford (b. 1966), game designer, author, and film producer
Sam Harris (b. 1961), Tony-nominated actor and singer who was Male Vocalist champion of the first season of Star Search
Marques Haynes (1926–2015), Harlem Globetrotters player
Charles Page (1860–1926), oilman, founder of Sand Springs
Cindy Pickett (b. 1947), actress
William R. Pogue (1930–2014), Skylab astronaut, author, and pilot
Robert D. Simms (1926–2008), native of Sand Springs, attorney, judge, associate justice of Oklahoma Supreme Court
Mae Young (1923–2014), professional wrestler
Jadine Nollan (b. 1958), politician, Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 66th district since 2010

Sand Springs, Oklahoma facts for kids

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