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History · Sunset

Sunset was first counted by the census in 1980, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

Most of Sunset was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Its Register listing is the Marion Colored High School. Below: maps from 1916 on and the census since 1980.

1980first census
1on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Sunset began

When was Sunset founded?

1980

Sunset first appears in the census in 1980.

First census: 582 in 19802020 census: 18446 years
Founding year: the first census.

What stands out about Sunset’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Sunset are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19167 editions of the USGS map, 1916 to 1993. Watch Sunset change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sunset’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sunset’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Sunset on the map, 1916 to 1993

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sunset. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Sunset on the 1916 USGS mapSunset on the 1927 USGS mapSunset on the 1939 USGS mapSunset on the 1955 USGS mapSunset on the 1966 USGS mapSunset on the 1973 USGS mapSunset on the 1993 USGS map1916Memphis sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Sunset.

The story so far

Sunset, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Sunset yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Sunset is a town in Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, Sunset had a population of 184.

Its first post office opened in 1980. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 198 to 184 (-7%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Sunset, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Phelix School -formerly Marion Colored School2017Phelix School -formerly Marion Colored SchoolPhelix School -formerly Marion Colored Sch2017Phelix School -formerly Marion Colored SchPhelix School -formerly Marion Colored Sch2017Phelix School -formerly Marion Colored SchPhelix School -formerly Marion Colored Sch2017Phelix School -formerly Marion Colored SchPhelix School -formerly Marion Colored Sch - Sunset, Arkansas Older Section2017Phelix School -formerly Marion Colored Sch - Sunset, …Sunset AR 092010Sunset AR 09Sunset AR 052010Sunset AR 05Sunset AR 042010Sunset AR 04Sunset AR 032010Sunset AR 03Sunset AR 02 Sign2010Sunset AR 02 SignSunset AR 01 Sign2010Sunset AR 01 SignARMap-doton-Sunset2005ARMap-doton-Sunset
On the National Register

1 historic place in Sunset

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1995
Marion Colored High School
Marion Colored High School
Buildings
Marion Colored High SchoolBuilding

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Sunset, census by census

0100200300400500600198020002020Peak: 582

Between 184 and 582 people in every census since 1980.

5 censuses, 1980–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Sunset’s Wikipedia page.

Questions about Sunset’s history

What year was Sunset founded?

The Sunset post office opened in 1980, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 2017.

What is on the National Register in Sunset?

One place: the Marion Colored High School (listed 1995).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (12), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.