Sunshine, Colorado
Census Designated Place
Location of the Sunshine CDP in Boulder County, Colorado.
Sunshine Location of the Sunshine CDP in the United States.
Coordinates: 40°03′49″N 105°22′11″W / 40.0636504°N 105.3695840°W / 40.0636504; -105.3695840 (Sunshine CDP, Colorado)[1]
Country	United States
State	Colorado
County	Boulder County
Government [2]
• Type	unincorporated community
Area [1]
• Total	1.730 sq mi (4.481 km2)
• Land	1.730 sq mi (4.481 km2)
• Water	0.000 sq mi (0.000 km2)
Population  (2020)[3]
• Total	198
• Density	110/sq mi (44/km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP Code[4]	Boulder 80302
Area codes	303 & 720
GNIS feature[2]	Sunshine CDP

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.^[3] The Boulder post office (Zip Code 80302) serves the area.^[4]

History

Gold ore was discovered in Sunshine in 1873, and many prospectors moved to the area to seek their fortunes. By 1876 Sunshine was a booming mining camp, with a population of 1,200. Sunshine had a post office, a schoolhouse, a newspaper, The Sunshine Courier, several hotels and boarding houses, two mercantile firms, three blacksmiths, and two saloons.

Sunshine built a stone schoolhouse in 1900, which is still in good condition and used for community events. Noted for its sophisticated construction and neoclassical design, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

As gold became harder to find and extract, most mines shut down, and by 1908 Sunshine's population dwindled to about 200. Ranching was prevalent after World War I, with just a few mines still operating. The remaining mines were closed in July, 1942, by a decree of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, as the United States geared up for production of wartime materials.^[5]

Geography

Sunshine is located in central Boulder County, in the hills northwest of the city of Boulder. It is bordered by the Crisman CDP to the south, and the Glendale and Lazy Acres CDPs are to the north.

The Sunshine CDP has an area of 1,107 acres (4.481 km²), all land.^[1]

Demographics

The United States Census Bureau initially defined the Sunshine CDP for the United States Census 2010.