Sand Springs, Oklahoma facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sand Springs, Oklahoma
City
Location within Tulsa County and Oklahoma
Sand Springs, Oklahoma Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
Counties	Tulsa, Osage, Creek
Government
• Type	City Council
Area
• Total	22.07 sq mi (57.16 km2)
• Land	19.82 sq mi (51.33 km2)
• Water	2.25 sq mi (5.84 km2)
Elevation	650 ft (200 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	19,874
• Density	1,002.88/sq mi (387.21/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	74063
Area code(s)	539/918
FIPS code	40-65300
GNIS feature ID	2411807

Sand Springs is a city in Oklahoma, a state in the United States. It is mostly located in Tulsa County, with parts in Osage and Creek counties. Sand Springs is a western suburb of Tulsa. In 2020, about 19,874 people lived there. This was a small increase from the 18,906 people counted in 2010.

History of Sand Springs

Sand Springs was started in 1911 by Charles Page. He was a rich businessman and a philanthropist, which means he liked to help people. Charles Page wanted to create a safe place for children who didn't have parents and for widows (women whose husbands had died). He imagined Sand Springs as a perfect city with everything a community needed.

In 1908, Page bought 160 acres of land. He planned to build a home for orphans. The first 27 children lived in a tent. Soon, a bigger building was made for 50 children.

Page decided to build a model community called Sand Springs. It was west of the children's home. He gave away land to people who wanted to move there. He also offered money to companies that would move their businesses to Sand Springs. In 1911, Page built the Sand Springs Railway. This train line connected Sand Springs to Tulsa. The town was officially planned that same year. Sand Springs became a city in 1912, with about 400 people.

In 1911, Page also built the Sand Springs Power Plant. It was on Main Street and Morrow Road. This plant provided all the electricity for Sand Springs until 1947.

Some of the first factories in Sand Springs made glass, lamps, and boxes. Other important places included hospitals and homes for people in need. Sand Springs became well-known for making glass products. Kerr Glass Manufacturing moved there in 1913. In 1965, Sand Springs grew bigger when it included Prattville. This explains why the population grew a lot in the 1960s.

In 1935, workers at Commander Mills had disagreements with the factory leaders. The workers wanted to be treated fairly and have the right to form a union. There were some conflicts between workers and factory officials.

The Sand Springs Children's Home is still open today. It cares for school-aged children in a family-like setting. It also has a program to help older students live on their own. The home runs Camp Charles, an eight-acre camp on Grand Lake. Kids can camp, cook, swim, and boat there. The Charles Page Family Village helps mothers and their children. It provides free housing, utilities, and home care for 110 families.

On March 25, 2015, a strong EF2 tornado hit Sand Springs. One person died, and 30 people were hurt. About 50 mobile homes were damaged.

On November 26, 2018, there was a CO leak at Clyde Boyd Middle School. Carbon monoxide is a dangerous gas you cannot see or smell. Many students felt sick and went to the hospital. The school did not have carbon monoxide detectors at the time. The school district quickly installed them and fixed the problem. The school was closed for a few days for repairs.

Geography of Sand Springs

Sand Springs covers about 21.0 square miles (54.3 km²). Most of this area, 18.7 square miles (48.4 km²), is land. The rest, 2.3 square miles (5.9 km²), is water.

Sand Springs is about 7 miles (11 km) from downtown Tulsa. It is mainly in the western part of Tulsa County. It also reaches into the southern part of Osage County and a small part of Creek County.

Population and People

In 2000, there were 17,451 people living in Sand Springs. There were 6,564 households and 4,870 families. The population density was about 934 people per square mile.

About 38.1% of households had children under 18. Most households (58.3%) were married couples. About 22.7% of households were single people. The average household had 2.59 people.

The population was spread out by age. About 28.4% were under 18. About 12.2% were 65 or older. The average age was 35 years.

The median income for a household was $40,380. For a family, it was $47,258. The per capita income (income per person) was $18,193. About 9.1% of the population lived below the poverty line.

Economy and Jobs

The economy of Sand Springs focuses on helping small businesses grow. The city has a very active chamber of commerce, which supports local businesses.

Some of the most important businesses in 2000 included Webco Industries, Sheffield Steel Corporation, and Baker Petrolite.

Sports and Activities

Sand Springs offers many sports opportunities. It has special complexes for softball, baseball, and soccer.

The Jerry Adair Complex is for baseball. The Roger G. Bush Complex is for soccer. The William Ramsey Softball Complex has five fields with lights, bleachers, a playground, and restrooms.

Every year around Halloween, the Charles Page High School softball and baseball teams dress in costumes for the "Monster Ball." The money raised helps Special Olympic athletes in Sand Springs. In this game, baseball players bat with their opposite hand, and many players can be on the field at once.

Many sports are played through teams at Charles Page High School. Sand Springs also has many youth sports programs. These include baseball, basketball, tennis, football, wrestling, and track.

Sand Springs has the only BMX track in the Tulsa area. It is one of only three tracks in Oklahoma. The BMX Track opened in July 2000. It has a 2-acre track with lights, a playground, and concessions. After floods in May 2019, parts of the track were damaged. The community worked to repair it, and it reopened in mid-July of that year.

Many youth sports programs use the Case Community Park.

Parks and Recreation

The Case Community Center is a large building (26,000 square feet) for many activities. It has basketball courts, a walking track, weight equipment, table tennis, and gaming stations.

Case Community Park has walking trails, family park areas, a BMX track, a skate park, and splash pads.

The Keystone Ancient Forest is a nature preserve with hiking trails. It has very old trees, some cedars are 500 years old, and post oaks are 300 years old. The forest covers 1,360 acres. In 2021, a new visitor center opened, and there are more hiking trails and hours. The Keystone Ancient Forest was the first forest in Oklahoma to join the Old-Growth Forest Network. This group works to protect old forests across the United States.

The Canyons at Blackjack Ridge is a public 18-hole golf course. It is located in the hills north of Sand Springs.

The Sand Springs Senior Citizens Center offers games like pool, bingo, and cards. They also have dances for older adults. Free lunches are provided on weekdays.

The Sand Springs Cultural and Historical Museum is in the old Page Memorial Library Building. It helps people learn about local history and art.

Keystone State Park and Keystone Lake are just west of town. Skiatook Lake is just north of town.

Historical Sites to Visit

Several places in Sand Springs are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important historical sites.

• Fort Arbuckle Site (west of Sand Springs)
• Page Memorial Library (6 E. Broadway)
• Sand Springs Power Plant (221 S. Main St.)

Transportation in Sand Springs

US Route 412 and Oklahoma State Highway 51 are the main highways that go east and west through Sand Springs. Oklahoma State Highway 97 runs north and south.

The William R. Pogue Municipal Airport is owned by the City of Sand Springs. It has a paved runway that is 5,800 feet long. This airport is used mostly by small planes. It is about 4 miles northwest of the city center.

For bigger planes and commercial flights, Tulsa International Airport is about a 20-minute drive to the east.

Education in Sand Springs

Main entrance to Charles Page High School

The Sand Springs Public School District is the biggest employer in the city. It has 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 (an alternative school)

The part of Sand Springs in Osage County is served by Sperry Public Schools.

There are also four private Christian schools in Sand Springs:

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

News and Media

Sand Springs has a weekly newspaper called the Sand Springs Leader. It is published every Thursday. In 2015, a larger company bought this newspaper.

There is also an online-only news source called Sandite Pride News. It focuses on sports news from Sand Springs.

Famous People from Sand Springs

Many notable people have connections to Sand Springs:

• Jerry Adair (1936–1987), a professional baseball player
• Michael Bowie (born 1991), a professional football player who won the Super Bowl in 2013
• Woody Crumbo (1912–1989), a Native American artist, flutist, and dancer
• Daton Fix (born 1998), a freestyle and folkstyle wrestler
• Neal Hallford (born 1966), a game designer, author, and film producer
• Sam Harris (born 1961), an actor and singer who won the first season of Star Search
• Marques Haynes (1926–2015), a famous Harlem Globetrotters basketball player
• Jadine Nollan (born 1958), a politician in the Oklahoma House of Representatives
• Charles Page (1860–1926), the oilman who founded Sand Springs
• Cindy Pickett (born 1947), an actress
• William R. Pogue (1930–2014), a Skylab astronaut, author, and pilot
• Robert D. Simms (1926–2008), a judge on the Oklahoma Supreme Court
• Mae Young (1923–2014), a professional wrestler

Images for kids

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  Location within Tulsa County and Oklahoma

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  Sand Springs logo

See also

In Spanish: Sand Springs (Oklahoma) para niños