Sunburst Montana Map

About Sunburst, Montana

Sunburst is a locality in Toole County, Montana, United States. It is a small community with a population of 333. The population density is 67.0 people per km². Sunburst is located at 48.8740°N, 111.9012°W. It observes the Mountain Time (America/Denver) timezone. Sunburst is an incorporated locality. ZIP code: 59482.

Sunburst occupies a vast, high-plains threshold where the sky exerts a heavy, luminous pressure on the earth. It lies 99.6 miles north-northwest of Great Falls, MT (from Great Falls, MT: bearing 344°T), and is situated 26.2 miles north of Shelby. The landscape around Sunburst is defined by the sharp, arid contours of Buckley Coulee, which cuts through the prairie like a dry, forgotten vein. To the west, the distant jagged spine of the Rocky Mountains haunts the horizon, a faint blue serration against the pale light of evening. Travelers here often notice how the wind possesses a physical weight, scouring the sagebrush and carrying the scent of dry grass and cold, thin air across the open expanse. The proximity to Montana State Trust Lands provides a stark, unadorned wilderness, while the deeper water of Twin Lakes remains a quiet, secluded presence six miles removed from the main thoroughfare.

Sunburst grew from the persistent demands of the northern frontier, shaped by a history of rail lines and the rigorous requirements of agricultural life. The economy remains tethered to the rhythm of the harvest and the wide-reaching needs of regional ranching, an industry that demands both patience and a hardened resilience from those who work the soil. Life in Sunburst moves with the slow, deliberate pace of a place where the nearest running water, Red Creek, flows eleven miles away, reminding residents that water is a precious, measured resource. The architecture reflects this pragmatism, with structures that prioritize endurance against the seasonal shifts of the plains. Despite the immense distances between neighbors, there is a distinct, quiet clarity in the way the sunlight strikes the grain elevators at dusk, illuminating a local character forged by the sheer scale of the landscape.

About This Sunburst Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Sunburst, Montana. Coordinates: 48.873993, -111.901248. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service. Real-time local and world news feeds keep the page current.

Detailed location data for Sunburst includes the ZIP code (59482), telephone area code (406), county seat of Toole County (Shelby), and school district assignment (Sunburst K-12 Schools).

Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.