Sand Springs, OK

Sand Springs is a Tulsa-area city on the Arkansas River, founded in 1911 by philanthropist and businessman Charles Page. Page's original vision included industry, housing, and support for children, giving the city a more deliberate origin story than many suburbs. Today Sand Springs has river access, neighborhoods, schools, and a small downtown, while remaining closely connected to Tulsa. The Sand Springs Cultural and Historical Museum helps preserve that founding story. It feels like an older industrial river city folded into a larger metro.