SunshineCO
Home to 330 people, the town was settled in 1875.
Is Sunshine a good place to live?
60% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Sunshine, above both the Colorado town median (44%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Only 4 of the 160 Colorado towns we compare have a lower age of the median resident than Sunshine. Sunshine’s concentration of trails is 2.1 miles per square mile, against 1.3 in Colorado’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Sunshine has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
330 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Sunshine: who provides what
Sunshine is unincorporated, so Boulder County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Sunshine.
The FEMA risk score in Sunshine is higher than in most of Colorado or the rest of the country
Expected losses in Sunshine break down as 46% from wildfires and 25% from avalanches.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Sunshine has 0.5 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
Among working residents in Sunshine, 1.4% work locally. Half commute less than 16 miles. Its mean commuting time works out to 22 minutes. The top destinations are Boulder (31%), Denver (13%) and Lakewood (4%).
| Sunshine | Typical Colorado town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 7.7% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.3% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Sunshine: snowy winters and pleasant summers
A winter brings about 184 inches of snow, with January nights at 19° and July afternoons at 82°.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Fewer of Sunshine’s adults sleep under 7 hours than in the typical Colorado or U.S. town
Only 9 of the 160 Colorado towns we compare have a lower share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Sunshine. 16% of Sunshine adults binge drink. Across all 26 CDC measures, Sunshine beats Colorado on 12 and trails on 5.
| Sunshine | Typical Colorado town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 26% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 25% |
| What stands out | Sunshine | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.9% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults who get no exercise | 11.5% | 17.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.7% | 7.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Homes in Sunshine sell for about $2.27M
The share of households in Sunshine who live in a home they own is 62%.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Red Rocks Amphitheatre and 66 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sunshine. Close and well known come first.
Big draw29 mi TheatreRed Rocks Amphitheatre
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaEmpower Field at Mile High
13 mi National ParkRocky Mountain National Park4.2M visitors a year
29 mi Stadium & arenaBall Arena
7 mi Stadium & arenaFolsom Field
29 mi Stadium & arenaCoors FieldPhoto credits
Red Rocks Amphitheatre: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Empower Field at Mile High: Thelastcanadian, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Rocky Mountain National Park: Charles M. Sauer -- Charlessauer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ball Arena: KM Newnham, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Folsom Field: Thelastcanadian, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Coors Field: Matt Kozlowski, CC BY-SA 3.0
Everything we know about Sunshine
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Sunshine
About 6 of every 100 Sunshine residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Colorado.
99% of working residents leave Sunshine for work
Where Sunshine’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Sunshine
Census-designated place in Boulder County, CO, USA
Sunshine (also known as Sunshine Canyon) is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Boulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of the Sunshine CDP was 198 at the United States Census 2020. The Boulder post office (Zip Code 80302) serves the area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 7,100 ft
Questions about Sunshine
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sunshine, CO a good place to live?
Sunshine has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.