The main part of the built-up area lies between the hills to the east and the River Ivel to the west.

The headquarters of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is at The Lodge at Sandy Warren in the hills to the east of the town, where it has been based since 1961.

[3] The Sandy area has a long history of occupation, with evidence found for settlement prior to 250 BC.

[5] Sandy is referred to in the Domesday Book of 1086, as Sandeia, a derivation from the Old English Sandieg, meaning a sand-island.

At that time it was part of the ancient hundred of Weneslawe and was held by Eudo Fitzhubert, who is likely to have been the tenant.

[6] He was probably also known as Eudo Dapifer, who was a high steward for William the Conqueror, and based in Colchester Castle.

[11] In 1831 the old Weneslawe parishes were listed as Sandy, Sutton, Potton, Hatley, and additionally Everton.

[11] A route for a scenic and historic Weneslawe Walk around Sandy, Potton, and Biggleswade was promoted in 2022.

[12] Sandy's parish church of St Swithun was largely rebuilt in 1860, but retaining some of the medieval building, including the tower.

The Sandy Heath transmitting station, a 244 metre tall television broadcast mast, is located to the east of the town.

[26] The roundabout (former traffic lights before the late 1970s) is with the A603 for Bedford, to the west and the B1042 into Sandy itself and on to Potton and Cambridge.

There were three separate bypass schemes – the Improvement from Sandy to the junction with A428 (Tempsford and Tempsford Bridge Diversions, began December 1957, finished around 1960), Provision of second carriageway (widening) through Girtford (began 2 January 1961, finished around October 1962), and Biggleswade by-pass to Girtford (Girtford Diversion, which opened on 6 August 1961[27] which included pulverised fuel ash as an embankment infill material).

The Girtford Underpass was built in the early 1990s by Kimbell Construction, at the former Varsity Line railway bridge.

[29] Sandy railway station is located on the East Coast Main Line and provides half-hourly trains south to central London and beyond to Horsham, and north to Peterborough.

The no.73 Stagecoach East bus service, runs half-hourly Monday - Saturday between Biggleswade, Sandy and Bedford.

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC East and ITV Anglia.

Due to these changes Sandye Place Academy (the middle school in Sandy) closed in September 2019.

[41] Girtford Bridge itself was built in 1780–82 to the designs of the Rutland architect John Wing (1728–1794) assisted by his son John Wing (1756–1826)[42][43] There is a statue of Victoria Cross recipient William Peel in the south transept of St Swithun's Church.

[44] Opposite the church across the High Street stands the Sir William Peel pub.