Sand Springs was founded in 1911 by philanthropist Charles Page, an oil baron and businessman who wanted to build a community for orphans and widows. The town started with an orphanage and widow's colony, and Page offered free land and grants to businesses that would relocate to Sand Springs, ensuring a strong economy and good job opportunities for his orphans. The Sand Springs Home has owned large amounts of land in Sand Springs since its inception and has owned various businesses over the years to generate an ongoing revenue stream that supports the colony to this day. 

Prattville was a small unincorporated community on the south side of the Arkansas River from Sand Springs. It consisted of a few housing additions and grocery stores on a 700-acre area developed by Henry Pratt. The land was annexed by Sand Springs in 1962. While "Prattville" has never officially existed, Sandites tend to refer to the entire south side of the river as Prattville. 

Approximately 75 square miles of northern Sand Springs lies within in the Osage Nation Reservation. The modern Osage Nation was founded in 2006 and controls nearly 2300 square miles of northeastern Oklahoma. Much of Sand Springs's Osage territory is outside of City limits and heavily rural. This area contains the Anderson Public School District, Shell Lake, and two volunteer fire departments. 

The urban parts of Sand Springs are primarily within the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The modern Muscogee Nation was formed in 1979 and controls more than 4500 square miles. This area extends all the way to the Keystone Lake area and includes the Keystone Fire Department and Keystone School District.

Sand Springs is located in Northeast Oklahoma, just a few miles west of Tulsa. The fence line of the city extends from 65th West Avenue in the east to Keystone Lake in the west, and 61st Street in the south to Skiatook Lake in the north. The geography consists primarily of rolling forested hills with some prairie land. In addition to portions of the Keystone and Skiatook lakes, the Sand Springs and Shell lakes both rest entirely within the Sand Springs fence line, as does a nearly twelve-mile stretch of the Arkansas River. 

With a population of nearly 20,000, Sand Springs boasts infrastructure, culture, development, education, and economic opportunities to rival any community in the Midwestern United States. However, the 150-square mile extended-growth area of the community also offers a variety of lifestyle options for residents ranging from downtown lofts and suburban housing developments, to rural farmlands and sparsely-populated forests. 

The City of Sand Springs uses a Council-Manager form of government with seven elected City Council members, and an appointed City Manager. Six council members are elected from their respective wards, and one is elected to an At Large position, all serving three-year terms with no limits. The Council elects a Mayor and Vice Mayor annually from within, and is responsible for hiring and reviewing the City Manager. 

Ward One: Cody Worrell (2022-2025)
Ward Two: Matt Barnett (2022-2025)
Ward Three: Mike Burdge (1996-2026)
Ward Four: Nancy Riley (2019-2026)
Ward Five: Beau Wilson (2015-2024) - Vice Mayor
Ward Six: Brian Jackson (2009-2024)
At Large: Jim Spoon (2015-2021) - Mayor (2019-2023)
City Manager: Mike Carter (2021-Present)

People often wonder what exactly a Sandite is. No, it’s not a sand flea. That would be a sand mite. Technically, Sandite is a substance used on railways to combat leaves on the lines. Sandite is a mixture of sand, antifreeze, and steel shot.

But that’s not what anyone from Sand Springs is referring to when using the word Sandite.

If you ask someone from Charles Page High School what a Sandite is, they’ll tell you “it’s the person you want to be.”

That’s because a Sandite is, quite simply, a person from Sand Springs. Just like an Earthling is from Earth or an American is from America, a Sandite is a person from Sand Springs. It can be used more specifically to refer to a graduate of Charles Page High School, or an athlete on a Sand Springs sports team.

But the term is broad enough that it really applies to anyone who currently or previously has resided in the town. The school mascot is actually a minuteman, which has no connection to the term Sandite.

Sandites pride themselves on being tough, hardworking, generous, and on having a dedication to their community in the spirit of city founder Charles Page, and by that definition, a Sandite is definitely the person you want to be.