Gunnison, Colorado

Gunnison, Colorado
Storefronts along Main Street in Gunnison.
Motto: 
"Base Camp of the Rocky Mountains"
Location of the City of Gunnison in Gunnison County, Colorado.
Gunnison
Location of the City of Gunnison in the United States.
Coordinates: 38°32′53″N 106°55′29″W / 38.54806°N 106.92472°W / 38.54806; -106.92472
Country United States
State Colorado
CountyGunnison County
IncorporatedMarch 1, 1880
Named afterJohn W. Gunnison
Government
  TypeHome Rule Municipality
  MayorDiego Plata
  City ManagerAmanda Wilson
Area
  Total
4.849 sq mi (12.558 km2)
  Land4.849 sq mi (12.558 km2)
  Water0.000 sq mi (0.000 km2)
Elevation
7,710 ft (2,350 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total
6,560
  Density1,353/sq mi (522/km2)
Time zoneUTC−07:00 (MST)
  Summer (DST)UTC−06:00 (MDT)
ZIP codes
81230-81231 and 81247
Area code970
FIPS code08-33640
GNIS feature ID2410674
Websitewww.gunnisonco.gov

Gunnison is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Gunnison County, Colorado. The city population was 6,560 at the 2020 United States census. The city was named in honor of John W. Gunnison, a United States Army officer who surveyed for a transcontinental railroad in 1853. Gunnison is home to Western Colorado University, the first university established in Colorado's Western Slope region.