Sand Springs is a city in Osage 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 18,906 in the 2010 U. S. Census, an increase of 8.3 percent from 17,451 at the 2000 census.
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History
The city was founded in 1911, by philanthropist Charles Page, a wealthy businessman in Oklahoma. He 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.
Page bought 160 acres of land in Tulsa County, Oklahoma in 1908, intending to build a home for orphan children. The first 27 children, who had been abandoned by the Hook & Anchor Orphanage in Tulsa, were housed in a tent. This was soon replaced by a frame building large enough to house 50 children.
Page decided to form a model community, to be called Sand Springs, on land west of the children's home. He offered free land to any person 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 the same year. Sand Springs was incorporated as a city in 1912, with a population of 400.
In 1911 Page also built the Sand Springs Power Plant, on the southeast corner of Main Street and Morrow Road. It anchored an area that Page intended to use for industrial development. Several significant additions were made to the facility, and it was 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 a 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 Children's Home is still operating. 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 (36.1398102, -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
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 was 85.85% White, 1.85% African American, 7.13% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 4.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.06% 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.
Education
The Sand Springs Public School District is the largest employer in the city. It contains five elementary schools, two middle schools, and three high schools. It has a groundbreaking early childhood program.
- Charles Page High School
- Clyde Boyd Middle School
- Central Ninth Grade Center
- 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
Media
Sand Springs has one print newspaper, the Sand Springs Leader. It is published weekly on Thursday.
On April 21, 2015, The Tulsa World announced that its parent company BH Media, a division of Berkshire Hathaway, the Omaha-based investment holding company led by billionaire Warren Buffett, had purchased several suburban newspapers, including the Sand Springs Leader.
Sand Springs also has an online-only news source, Sandite Pride News, which specializes in Sand Springs sports coverage.
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, flautist, and dancer
- Daton Fix (b. 1998) - Four-time Undefeated State Wrestling Champion. National Champion. Pan-American Champion. Junior Olympic Silver Medalist.
- Neal Hallford (b. 1966) - game designer, author, and film producer
- Sam Harris (b. 1961) - actor and singer
- 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
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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